THE 


MAKING   OF   A  MISSIONARY 


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'  tivo  baskets  hung  by  cords  over  his 
shoulders:  i 


.MS 

THE 


MAKING  OF  A  MISSIONARY 

OR 

DAYDREAMS    IN  EARNEST 


BY 

CHARLOTTE  M.  YONGE 

AUTHOR  OF 

'THE  HERD  BOY  AND  HIS  HERMIT*  'THE  PATRIOTS  OF  PALESTINE' 
ETC. 


The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war 

A  kingly  crown  to  gain, 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar  ; 

Who  follows  in  His  train  ? 

Bishop  Reginald  Heber 


WITH   FIVE   FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 
BY  W.  S.  STACEY 


LONDON 

j^ATIONAL    ^OCIETY'S  pEPOSITORY 

BROAD   SANCTUARY,  WESTMINSTER 

New  York  :  Thomas  Whittaker,  2  &  3  Bible  House 


\,All  rights  reserved] 


BY   THE    SAME  AUTHOR, 

THE  HERD  BOY  AND  HIS  HERMIT.    Price  3^.  6^. 

THE  PATRIOTS  OF  PALESTINE.    Price  3^.  6^. 

FOUNDED  ON  PAPER.    Price  3^.  6^. 

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THE  CUNNING  WOMAN'S  GRANDSON:  a  Story 

of  Cheddar  a  Hundred  Years  Ago.    Price  3^.  6d. 

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NATIONAL  SOCIETY'S  DEPOSITORY, 
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PREFACE 


This  tale  was  begun,  and  indeed  nearly  completed, 
before  China  had  become  the  scene  of  more  than 
the  sudden  raids  of  fanatics,  such  as  those 
Vegetarians  who  fell  on  the  Stewart  family  and 
their  helpers  at  Kucheng.  Of  the  cruel  persecu- 
tion by  the  so-called  Boxers,  nothing  then  was 
known,  and  the  war  had  only  just  begun  when  the 
last  chapters  were  written.  In  fact,  only  the  first 
attacks  had  then  been  made,  and  the  terrible 
atrocities  that  followed  were  yet  unperpetrated. 
The  end  is  not  yet  come,  but  by  the  time  this 
tale  actually  appears  there  will  probably  have  been 
much  more  to  lament,  and  thus  far  we  can  only 
feel  that 

The  martyrs'  glorious  army  still  is  ours 

and  join  in  the  thanksgiving  of  the  Church  for 
Brooks,  Robinson,  and  Norman,  and  the  countless 


vi 


PREFACE 


Chinese  Christians  whose  names  we  shall  never 
know,  but  who  have  won  their  crowns  in  Paradise. 
For  be  it  remembered  that  all  agree  that  when  a 
Chinese  is  converted,  he  is  so  from  his  heart,  and 
in  reality. 

I  have  not  attempted  many  Chinese  scenes,  for 
want  of  sufficient  information  as  to  the  habits  of 
the  converts,  and  I  have  avoided  names  of  persons, 
as  it  is  dangerous  to  invent  or  to  copy  names  from 
a  language  not  understood  ;  and  besides,  the  chief 
details  to  be  had  were  from  Southern  China, 
where,  though  the  written  language  is  the  same  to 
the  eye,  a  totally  different  dialect  is  spoken. 

In  fact,  my  object  has  rather  been  to  trace 
the  growth  of  the  purpose  of  self-devotion,  and 
what  it  may  lead  to  when  once  the  seed,  however 
small,  has  been  planted. 

C.  M.  YONGE. 

June  12,  1900. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Lantern   ii 

II.   Thirty-fold   19 

III.  Great  Examples   33 

IV.  Cold  Water   43 

V.  Turned  Aside   56 

VI.   Home  Cares   65 

VII.   Mabel's  Native   76 

VIII.  The  Break-up    ......  86 

IX.   Old  Friends   96 

X.   Dedication   108 

XI.  The  Choice   119 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XII.    Church  or  World  131 

XIII.  Those  at  Home  141 

XIV.  The  St.  Augustine  Scholar  .      .  .150 
XV.   The  Land  of  Sinim  160 

XVI.  To  THE  Flowery  Land   .      .      .  .173 

XVII.   Sadness  and  Joy  179 

XVIII.   Welcome  193 

XIX.  The  Bower  of  Bliss      .      .      .  .202 

XX.  Mabel's  Views  Realised  .      .      .  .209 

XXI.   Martyrdom  215 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

^TWO     BASKETS     HUNG     BY     CORDS     OVER  HIS 

SHOULDERS'  Frontispiece 

Is  THAT  ALL  YOUR  BAG?'  DEMANDED  HIS  GRAND- 
FATHER"      .        .   45 

The  keeper  suddenly  appears    ....  84 

Edward  Bryant  and  his  mother       .      .  .123 

Edward  Bryant  came  out  of  church  behind 

them  160 


THE 

MAKING  OF  A  MISSIONARY 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  LANTERN 

In  heathen  lands  afar 

Gross  darkness  broodeth  yet. 
Arise,  O  morning  star, 
Arise,  and  never  set. 

LECTURE  was  being  given  in  Lang- 
bridge  school-room — illustrated  by  a 
magic  lantern.  There  were  Red 
Indians  with  feathers,  wampum  belts 
and  mocassins,  dancing  wildly  about  their  fires. 
By-and-by  came  a  missionary  wrapped  in  furs,  on 
his  sledge  drawn  by  a  little  brisk  pony.  The  men 
drew  round  him,  as  he  stood  under  a  large  branch- 
ing, snow-laden  fir  tree,  and  by-and-by  in  the 


12 


THE  LANTERN 


next  group,  the  chieftain  was  pointing  up  to  the 
sky,  and  the  lecturer  said  he  was  declaring  that, 
now  they  knew  who  the  Great  Spirit  was,  they 
would  follow  Him  and  renounce  their  heathenish 
and  cruel  practices.  Then  there  appeared  a  lake 
enclosed  by  woodland,  where  the  missionary  in  his 
surplice  stood  on  steps  to  baptize  the  chief,  going 
down  into  the  water  ;  and  the  series  closed  with 
wigwams  round  a  little  church  with  a  pine  shingled 
roof  Another  set  of  slides  represented  the  India 
of  the  East,  a  monkey  temple  with  comical  apes 
in  all  positions,  a  faquir  with  nails  grown  through 
his  clenched  palm,  and  another  swinging  on  hooks 
implanted  in  his  naked  sides.  Old  men  carried 
down  to  die  in  the  Ganges,  with  cowdung  in  their 
mouths.  A  widow  laid  on  her  pile  as  a  Suttee, 
and  especially  the  Car  of  Juggernauth,  with  the 
three  horrid  idols  and  the  pilgrims  lying  down  in 
its  path  to  be  crushed.  Finally,  the  scene  shifted  to 
China,  where  pagoda  roofs  towered  above  trees,  and, 
in  the  foreground,  an  unfortunate  baby  was  being 
buried  alive — looking  so  natural  that  some  of  the 
spectators  began  to  cry  before  they  were  relieved 
by  a  missionary  in  a  broad  hat,  and  a  lady  in  a  big 
bonnet,  who  were  bargaining  for  it  and  rescuing  it. 


THE  LANTERN 


13 


To  most  of  the  beholders  the  scenes  were  only 
a  succession  of  wonders,  passing  by  them  as  if  they 
had  been  only  Alpine  scenery,  or  Arctic  views,  with 
a  due  proportion  of  bears  and  shipwrecks  and 
\  "0  icebergs  ;  but  there  was  one  boy  who  stared  at  the 
stretch  of  his  brown  eyes,  as  he  sat  on  a  bench 
too  low  for  him,  propping  his  chin  on  his  hand  and 
his  elbow  on  his  knee.  And  when  the  concluding 
hymn  was  sung  his  young  voice  chimed  in  with  : 

Shall  we  whose  lamp  is  lighted 

With  knowledge  from  on  high, 
Shall  we  to  men  benighted 

The  light  of  truth  deny  ? 
Salvation,  oh  salvation, 

The  joyful  sound  proclaim 
Till  each  remotest  nation 

Have  learnt  Messiah's  name. 

When  the  boy  part  of  the  audience  had  come 
scrambling  and  tumbling  out,  glad  to  be  in  the 
open  air  and  moonlight,  he  was  still  humming  it 
to  himself ;  but  he  waited  a  few  moments  till  the 
quieter  ones  were  coming  out,  each  with  a  little 
pictured  tract  that  had  been  put  into  their 
hands,  and  then,  joining  himself  to  two  young 
girls  in  broad  white  hats,  he  said  :  *  Hollo, 
Aline !  hollo,  Frances !  I  thought  I  saw  you 
there ! ' 


14 


THE  LANTERN 


^  Yes,  we  got  leave  to  come.  Wasn't  it  nice  ?  ' 
said  the  elder  of  the  two  maidens.  The  three 
were  all  about  the  same  age,  on  each  side  of 
twelve  years  old. 

*  Betsy  was  to  take  us  home,'  said  the  other  ; 
'  but  I  think  she  is  gone  off  with  her  young  man. 
You  will  see  us  home,  Edward,  then  mamma 
won't  mind.' 

So  the  three  went  along  a  broad  path  through 
the  churchyard,  where  the  rising  moon  made  long 
shadows  of  the  headstones.  Edward  began  hum- 
ming again — 

Salvation,  oh  salvation, 
The  joyful  sound  proclaim. 

*  How  you  have  got  that  old  thing  into  your 
head,  Edward,'  said  Frances. 

^Old  thing!  It  is  all  like  a  real  call,' 
responded  the  boy.  'Just  fancy  going  and 
standing  up  before  that  horrible  car,  and  spread- 
ing out  one's  arms  to  the  poor  pilgrims  and 
saying  :  "  See  here,  ye  poor  deluded  folk.  Don't 
worship  those  dreadful  idols  of  death,  but  turn, 
turn  to  the  living  God  of  life  and  mercy.'  He 
suited  the  action  to  the  words,  and  stood  with 
arms  outspread  and  face  lifted  up.    Aline  gasped 


THE  LANTERN 


15 


with  a  touch  of  the  same  feeling  ;  but  Frances 
laughed  *  Very  soon  the  car  would  run  over  you  ! ' 

'Then  I  should  be  a  martyr!  The  best  of 
deaths.' 

*  Oh-h  ! '  gasped  Aline. 

'  Nonsense/  said  Frances.  *  There  aren't 
martyrs  now.  The  English  police  has  put  a 
stop  to  all  that.    Didn't  you  hear  him  say  so  ?  ' 

*  Yes/  added  Aline.  ^  Now  we  British  have 
got  India  we  won't  let  the  foolish  people  throw 
themselves  under  the  car,  nor  the  widows  be 
burnt !    So  it  is  all  done,  you  see.' 

'  But  those  people  are  all  in  the  dark.  They 
want  to  be  taught.  Didn't  you  see  the  great 
map,  with  all  the  black  heathen  places  t ' 

'  Where  they  bury  the  poor  babies/  said  Aline. 
But  there  was  a  mission  lady  saving  one.' 

*  The  joyful  sound  proclaim/  went  on  Edward. 
'  I'll  tell  you  what — I  mean  to  do  it,  I  mean  to 
be  a  missionary  to  the  heathen  ! ' 

Both  the  girls  received  the  announcement  with 
a  burst  of  laughter,  and  Frances  said  :  '  It  was  to 
be  a  sailor  last  week,  or  a  photographer.  Which 
was  it  .^^ ' 

'  I  mean  it  this  time/  said  Edward.     '  Don't 


i6 


THE  LANTERN 


laugh,  Frances,  I  do !  And  did  you  see  who  was 
helping  him  with  the  slides  ? ' 

'  Fm  sure  I  didn't  see,'  said  Frances  ;  *  I  thought 
it  was  only  an  assistant  sort  of  person/ 

*  Assistant  sort  of  person  ? '  repeated  Edward. 
*  Why,  he  was  Mr.  Goodrich,  our  master  that  I  am 
up  to.' 

'Well,  that  is  an  assistant  sort  of  person,' 
argued  Frances,  laughing. 

*  I  tell  you  he  is  a  gentleman,  a  real  jolly  sort 
of  fellow,  and  I  believe  he  is  going  to  be  a  clergy- 
man.' 

*  I  wonder  what  this  is  that  he  gave  us,'  said 
Aline.  *  It  is  some  sort  of  picture  that  the 
children  will  like.' 

She  spoke  in  the  superior  sort  of  way  in  which 
twelve  years  old  talks  of  the  younger  folk  of  the 
family. 

They  were  by  this  time  near  an  iron  gate, 
close  in  front  of  a  house,  where  lights  peeped  from 
behind  the  blinds  ;  and  here  the  three  parted,  the 
two  girls  to  run  round  to  the  back  entrance  of  the 
house  of  their  father,  Mr.  Millar,  the  union  doctor, 
and  Edward  Bryant  to  go  further  down  a  darken- 
ing lane,  and  then  across  two  fields,  one  silvery 


THE  LANTERN 


17 


with  beards  of  barley  in  the  rising  moonlight,  and 
the  other  scattered  with  cows  lying  down,  and  to 
be  heard  munching  as  they  chewed  their  cud. 
Beyond  rose  the  dark-tiled  roofs  of  barns  around 
an  old  farmhouse,  once  very  handsome  of  its  kind, 
but  now  a  great  deal  out  of  repair. 

Old  Mr.  Bryant  had  in  his  youth  been  a 
prosperous  man,  holding  his  own  land  after  many 
generations,  and  almost  ranking  with  the  gentry ; 
but  misfortune  had  fallen  on  him,  and  he  could 
hardly  keep  his  land  in  cultivation,  far  less  make 
improvements,  for  which  he  had  the  less  heart 
since  all  his  children  had  been  short-lived.  Dr. 
Millar  said  that  the  cause  probably  lay  in  the  un- 
altered drainage  of  the  farm  court ;  but  to  this  he 
turned  a  deaf  ear,  as  to  new-fashioned  fancy,  and 
indeed  he  could  not  have  gone  to  the  expense 
of  rectifying  it. 

None  of  his  whole  family  were  left  to  him, 
except  the  row  of  graves,  small  and  large,  in 
the  churchyard,  and  the  grandson  of  his  eldest 
son,  Edward,  who  lived  at  the  farm  with  his 
mother. 

She  was  the  daughter  of  a  corn  merchant,  and 
had  known  ease  and  fair  circumstances ;  but  trouble 

/  B 


i8 


THE  LANTERN 


had  likewise  overtaken  her  relations,  and  except 
that  50/.  a  year  had  been  secured  to  her  by  an 
uncle,  she  had  no  dependence  save  on  the  old 
grandfather,  for  whom  she  managed,  as  far  as  he 
would  allow  her,  or  her  own  delicate  health  would 
permit,  while  her  son  Edward  went  daily  to  a 
good  grammar  school  at  Cokeham,  a  town  about 
two  miles  distant. 


CHAPTER  II 


THIRTY-FOLD 

Keep  thou,  dear  child,  thine  early  word 
Give  Him  thy  best :  Who  knows  but  He 
For  His  eternal  board 
May  take  some  gift  from  thee. 

'  Lyra  Innocentium.' 

ARLY  hours  were  kept  at  Birkfarm,  but 
Mrs.  Bryant  was  waiting  for  her  boy 
when  he  came  to  the  back  door  at  nine 
o'clock. 

*Well,  Eddy,  I  hope  you  have  been  enter- 
tained.' 

*  Mother,  I  never  heard  anything  like  it,  and  I 
saw  it  too  !  There  were  poor  widows  being  burnt, 
and  the  horrid  tall  car  running  over  the  poor 
creatures,  and  a  faquir  swinging  by  hooks  in  his 
sides.' 

'  I  read  about  it  long  ago,  my  dear,  and  saw 

B  2 


20 


THIRTY-FOLD 


pictures  of  it ;  but  I  thought  it  was  all  done  away 
with  now.' 

^  So  the  Rector  said,  and  that  English  laws 
hinder  the  worst  of  it  ;  but  they  don't  really  know 
any  better,  and  they  put  poor  old  men  into  the 
Ganges  to  die,  with  a  bit  of  cowdung  in  their 
mouths  !  Men  are  wanted,  ever  so  much,  to  teach 
them  better !  Mother,  I  must  go  and  be  a  mis- 
sionary.' 

'You  had  better  be  eating  your  supper  than 
talking  of  what  you  know  nothing  about.' 

'  But,  mother,  there  was  Mr.  Goodrich — our 
Goodrich  of  my  form — helping  him,'  said  Edward 
impressively. 

*  I  suppose  he  is  some  cousin  of  his.  Come,  do 
go  on  with  your  supper.  Grandpa  won't  go  to 
sleep  till  he  hears  you  safe  upstairs.' 

*  But,  mammy  dear,  you  must  go  and  hear  the 
gentleman  preach  to-morrow.    Now  promise  me.' 

*  Well,  if  grandpapa  can  spare  me,  and  if  Susan 
gets  forward  enough  with  the  joint—' 

*  And,  mother  ' 

'  Do  make  haste,  Eddy  as  his  bread  and 
cheese  halted  on  the  way  to  his  lips,  'or  grandpapa 
will  be  knocking  overhead.' 


THIRTY-FOLD 


21 


Nor  would  she  listen  to  a  word  more  till  she 
had  driven  her  son  up  to  his  own  little  room,  and 
shut  the  door  on  him,  his  last  words  being  :  *  You've 
promised,  mother ! '  He  said  his  prayers  under 
the  vine-sheltered  window  as  usual,  and  a  thought 
of  the  scenes  on  the  wall  made  him  pause  over 
*  Thy  kingdom  come/  When  he  rose  up,  he  went 
to  his  money-box  and  shook  it  out.  There  were 
two  threepenny  bits  in  it — one  would  have  to  be 
given  in  church  to-morrow  (for  it  was  reckoned 
mean  and  ungrateful  not  to  give  silver) — fivepence 
in  coppers,  and  half-a-crown,  given  by  a  visitor  of 
his  mother.  He  was  saving  in  hopes  of  a  pair  of 
skates,  and  had  been  sorry  to  hear  the  collection 
announced,  because  the  little  silver  bits  would 
have  to  be  sacrificed,  and  he  looked  twice  at  the 
bright  half-crown,  and  thought  of  'The  joyful  sound 
proclaim.'  Perhaps  it  would  not  freeze  next  winter ! 
He  would  see  how  he  felt  about  it  to-morrow,  and 
be  prepared,  at  any  rate  ;  so  the  half-crown  and  the 
threepenny  pieces  both  went  into  his  Sunday 
jacket  pocket  before  he  lay  down. 

His  mind  was  full  of  the  same  subject  when  he 
awoke,  and  he  gave  hearty  help  to  his  mother  in 
forwarding  the  needful  work  about  the  house,  and 


22 


THIRTY-FOLD 


he  hunted  her  up  soon  after  ten  o'clock  to  put  on 
the  black  silk  in  which  she  always  looked  so  lady- 
like. 

*  Going  to  church,  Missus  ? '  said  the  farmer, 
who  had  just  come  in  from  inspecting  the  calves, 
and  was  unfolding  his  Sunday  newspaper. 

*  Yes,  grandpa  ;  Eddy  wants  me  to  go  and  hear 
this  Mr.—  Mr.  ' 

*  Smithson,'  suggested  Edward.  *  He  has  been 
among  the  Red  Indians.' 

*  I  hear  he  is  a  very  fine  preacher,'  added  Mrs. 
Bryant. 

'  Missionary  sermon,  eh  ?  Ah  !  hunting  just  to 
get  money,  a  regular  dodge — better  spent  at  home. 

And  what's  this  '  picking  up  Edward's  paper. 

*  Who's  been  sticking  tracts  about  here  } ' 

*  Oh,  grandpa,  let  me  have  it.  They  gave  it  to 
me  last  night,  and  I  had  not  time  to  see  it' 

'  Parsees  and  Chinamen  !  Rot !  Only  fit  to 
light  a  pipe  with.' 

He  crushed  it,  and  threw  it  into  the  grate,  but 
the  fire  was  low,  and  Edward  watched  to  rescue  it, 
while  his  mother  was  saying : 

*  Well,  I  like  to  hear  a  good  preacher  now  and 
then,  and  I  have  put  everything  'ready  for  Susan, 


THIRTY-FOLD 


23 


so  if  you  don't  want  me  particularly,  grandpapa,  I 
should  be  glad  to  go  for  once  in  a  way.' 

He  gave  a  sort  of  grunt  which,  at  any  rate, 
was  not  a  refusal.  Mrs.  Bryant  was  a  good 
woman,  and  had  been  a  regular  church-goer  in  her 
youth  ;  but  since  she  had  lived  at  Birkfarm,  her 
own  frail  health  at  first,  the  needs  of  her  young 
child,  and  then  of  the  household  and  the  old  man, 
had  made  the  distance  seem  longer  and  longer,  so 
that  she  was  out  of  the  habit,  though  she  always 
read  her  Bible  and  one  or  two  sermon  books  on  a 
Sunday,  and  sent  Edward  regularly  ;  besides  that, 
she  always  made  him  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible, 
and  heard  his  Catechism  in  the  evening. 

It  was  a  very  fine  day,  and  the  walk  through 
the  fields  was  pleasant  before  the  sun  had  become 
powerful.  There  was  the  sweet  Sunday  quiet  all 
round,  and  the  bells  began  to  peal. 

'  How  odd  it  must  be  to  be  in  a  country  where 
there  are  no  church  bells,'  said  Edward. 

*  Your  uncle — my  poor  brother  Charlie — when 
he  came  home  from  Canada,  he  could  never 
hear  enough  of  our  bells  at  Awmouth  —  he 
said  he  was  quite  lost  without  them  in  the  back- 
woods.' 


24 


THIRTY-FOLD 


'  What  did  uncle  Charles  do  ?  Did  they  have 
no  church  at  all  ? ' 

*  Oh,  I  believe  there  was  one  twenty  miles  off, 
that  a  clergyman  came  to  once  a  month,  and  that 
sometimes  your  uncle  rode  over  to  it.  I  think 
the  place  is  more  settled  now ;  but  I  have  not 
heard  since  poor  Charlie  died.  What  stories  he 
did  tell  me  about  the  Indians  ! ' 

^  Were  they  Christians,  mother  ? ' 

*  I  am  sure  I  don't  know.  They  made 
beautiful  bark  baskets  and  canoes,  worked  with 
porcupines'  quills.  I  had  one  for  a  long  time,  but  it 
was  lost  when  I  moved  here.  They  were  harmless 
enough,  that  tribe  ;  but  there  are  terrible  savages 
over  in  the  States  that  would  think  nothing  of 
scalping  you,  and  hanging  your  scalp  up  by  the 
hair  to  their  belts.' 

'  And  does  no  one  try  to  teach  them  ? ' 

'  Oh !  this  was  all  five-and-twenty  or  thirty 
years  ago ;  everything  may  be  changed  since 
then.  It  was  reading  about  "  Leather-stocking  " 
in  Mr.  Cooper's  books  that  made  your  uncle 
want  to  go  out ;  but,  there,  he  did  not  find  it 
one  bit  so  romantic  as  he  expected,  and  the 
Indians  were  nasty  dirty  fellows.' 


THIRTY-FOLD 


25 


Edward  decided  on  looking  for  *  Leather- 
stocking  ' — if  such  were  his  name — among  his 
mother's  old  books  in  the  parlour  cupboard  ;  and 
therewith  they  came  into  the  lane,  where  more 
church-goers  appeared,  and  presently,  from  Dr. 
Millar's  gate,  came  Frances  and  Aline,  also  a  tiny 
boy,  proudly  strutting  in  Sunday  knickerbockers, 
and  a  little  girl  endeavouring  to  carry  a  big  red 
prayer-book,  as  well  as  a  small  fringed  parasol 
over  her  shoulder,  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
the  sun. 

'  Mamma  is  at  home  with  baby,  and  papa  has 
been  sent  for  to  old  Mr.  Mason,'  explained 
Frances,  *  so  we  are  taking  the  children  to  church  ; 
and  Mabel  and  Bertie  have  promised  to  be  very 
good.' 

*  I  have  got  my  big  bright  penny  for  the  poor 
babies  that  get  buried,  and  perhaps  Pharaoh's 
daughter  will  come  and  save  them  !  And  see  my 
book  tha{  Aunt  Bessie  gave  me.' 

While  she  was  displaying  the  large  book,  down 
went  the  penny  on  one  side,  and  the  parasol  on 
the  other,  and  while  Edward  was  hunting  for  the 
penny  in  the  grass  Master  Bertie  captured  the 
sunshade,  shut  it  up,  and  began  to  poke  him  in  the 


26 


THIRTY.FOLD 


back  with  the  point,  and  peace  was  only  restored 
by  Mrs.  Bryant  persuading  the  boy  that  he  would 
be  taken  for  a  girl  with  such  a  feminine  imple- 
ment. 

She  offered  to  take  him  to  sit  with  her,  but 
this  was  contrary  to  the  dignity  of  all  concerned, 
and  she  had  to  withdraw  her  offer.  Mabel  had 
more  to  say  about  the  Chinese  babies,  and  Aline 
explained  that  they  had  been  reading  to  her  the 
story  below  the  illustration  on  the  paper  that  they 
had  brought  home,  which  had  much  struck  her 
little  mind. 

Their  seat  was  just  in  front  of  Mrs.  Bryant,  so 
that  she  might  help  in  time  of  need  ;  but  the 
children  were  good  on  the  whole,  Bertie  much 
occupied  with  counting  the  O's  in  the  Benedicite^ 
and  staring  at  old  Mr.  Briggs's  bald  head  till  he 
went  to  sleep  ;  Mabel  listening  with  open  mouth. 

The  text  was,  *  How  shall  they  hear  except  there 
be  a  preacher,  and  how  shall  they  preach  except 
they  be  sent  ?  '  and  an  eloquent  and  striking  picture 
was  drawn  of  the  contrast  between  the  heathen  and 
those  who  dwelt  at  home  in  ease  and  comfort  with 
all  the  blessings  of  religion,  carrying  with  it  civili- 
sation and  peace.    Mr.  Smithson  told  how,  in  the 


THIRTY-FOLD 


27 


islands  of  the  Pacific,  every  village  spoke  a 
different  language,  so  that  a  missionary  said  surely 
they  had  come  straight  from  the  Tower  of  Babel, 
and  how,  what  was  worse,  each  village  was  at  feud 
with  its  neighbour,  so  that  a  man  could  not  safely 
walk  a  few  miles  beyond  his  own  precinct  without 
being  in  danger,  and  how  the  people  themselves 
were  weary  of  their  perpetual  strife,  and  called  on 
the  Christians  on  other  isles  to  bring  them  the 
words  of  peace. 

The  Words  of  Peace — this  most  appropriate 
name  by  which  the  message  of  the  Gospel  is 
known,  even  by  those  who  have  not  yet  surrendered 
themselves  to  it.  And  in  these  spheres  of  action 
the  crying  need  was  for  Men  to  receive  those  who 
were  stretching  forth  their  hands  to  beg  for  the 
light  we  have  ourselves  received.  Therewith  the 
preacher  replied  to  the  too  frequent  objections  in 
people's  minds,  who  asked,  *Why  should  we 
disturb  the  native,  who  is  very  happy  as  he  is,'  by 
showing  what  this  undisturbed  happiness  is,  when 
every  village  is  at  feud  with  its  neighbour  and 
slaughter  prevails  at  each  moment  ?  Or  when  a  chief 
cannot  die  without  a  witch  doctor  denouncing 
whom  he  will  as  the  author  of  the  illness,  and  all 


28 


THIRTY-FOLD 


the  family — wives,  children,  and  relations — being 
cruelly  murdered  in  revenge  ?  Or,  even  in  India, 
though  the  burning  of  widows  be  prohibited  by 
English  rule,  yet  the  widowed  girl,  even  though 
she  be  betrothed  in  infancy,  and  have  never  seen 
her  husband,  becomes  the  persecuted  family  slave, 
with  no  hope  or  favour  in  store  for  her,  but  com- 
pelled to  lead  so  dreary  and  miserable  a  life  that 
the  flames  were  really  thought  preferable?  Or, 
again,  the  contempt  of  life  and  destruction  of 
infant  girls  in  China  

At  that  moment  little  Mabel  burst  out  in  an 
irrepressible  gasping  cry,  half  scream  half  sob. 
Frances  tried  to  remove  her,  but  she  drew  up  her 
heels  and  sat  fast.  Edward,  who  was  just  behind, 
leant  over,  took  her  up  in  his  arms  and  carried  her 
out,  Frances  following,  while  she  still  sobbed, 
words  breaking  out  between—*  Oh  the  poor  little 
dear  baby  girls.' 

They  sat  her  down  in  the  churchyard,  and 
Frances  shook  her  and  scolded  her,  but  still  she 
did  not  leave  off  crying  *  the  babies,  the  babies.' 
Perhaps  she  had  been  half  asleep,  and  some  dream 
of  the  picture  had  mixed  itself  with  the  words  to 
which  she  had  awakened,  of  the  girl-babes  whose 


THIRTY-FOLD 


29 


fathers  were  about  to  bury  them  ahve  unless  a 
sum  were  paid  for  them. 

The  congregation  were  beginning  to  come  out 
of  church,  and  Frances  wanted  to  lead  her  out  of 
the  way,  being  very  much  ashamed  of  her  conduct ; 
but  she  would  not  stir,  and  went  on  sobbing  out 
something  about  King  Pharaoh's  daughter,  the 
babies,  and  her  penny,  so  that  Edward,  who  had 
of  course  missed  the  collection  himself,  offered  to 
take  her  back  to  give  it. 

So  he  did,  meeting  one  of  the  churchwardens 
with  his  bag,  going  to  the  vestry.  Edward  told 
him,  and  he  smiled  pleasantly,  saying,  *  Good 
little  maid  ! ' 

But,  alas !  the  penny,  which  had  been  nursed 
within  the  little  thread  glove,  was  not  to  be  found 
there.  Where  could  it  be  ?  They  went  back  to 
the  seat  where  Mabel  had  been,  and  looked  up 
and  down,  and  still  it  did  not  appear.  Mr.  Brooks 
said  he  could  wait  no  longer,  and  the  little  girl 
was  just  breaking  into  another  howl,  when  Edward 
said  '  Here,'  and  thrust  between  her  fingers  what 
felt  like  a  penny  as  she  dropped  it  triumphantly 
into  the  bag — and  then,  rather  in  a  fright  at 
finding  herself  in  the  big  empty  church,  her  little 


30 


THIRTY-FOLD 


boots  went  clattering  down  the  aisle.  Frances 
and  Aline  were  waiting  for  her,  and  Bertie,  holding 
his  head  very  high,  and  declaring  that  he  didn't 
cry. 

But  Mabel  had  her  own  story  to  tell,  though 
nobody  but  Aline  listened  to  her.  ^  I  lost  my 
penny,  and  we  hunted  for  it  all  over  the  pew ;  but 
at  last  Eddy  found  it,  and  do  you  know,  Alley,  it 
had  all  turned  into  silver !  And  I  gave  it  to  the 
bag  to  save  the  poor  little  babies,  just  as  Pharaoh's 
daughter  saved  Moses  in  the  ark  of  bulrushes.' 

Aline  thought  that  Mabel  must  have  picked 
up  one  of  the  round  tin  tickets  that  the  school- 
children had  ;  but  she  was  a  kind  sister,  and  did 
not  laugh  at  the  little  one's  belief  in  the  trans- 
formation. And  poor  Mabel  had  to  be  received 
at  home  in  disgrace  for  having  cried  at  church : 
*  Such  a  great  girl  as  she  was ! ' 

Edward  had  run  after  his  mother,  and  did  not 
hear ;  but  he  had  not  heard  the  end  of  the  ^  big 
silver  penny,'  for  as  he  was  strolling  about  the 
fields — in  some  hesitation  whether  he  would  go  to 
evensong,  doubting  between  sunshine  with  re- 
search after  a  weasel's  hole,  and  weariness  with 
the  possibility  of  some  more  missionary  stories  in 


THIRTY-FOLD 


31 


the  sermon — the  Rector,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Goodrich,  came  to  the  back  gate  of  the  rectory 
garden  and  hailed  him.  '  Ha  !  Edward  Bryant  ; 
I  thought  it  was  you  !  You  took  Dr.  Millar's 
little  girl  up  to  give  her  offering,  didn't  you  ? 
Well,  it  was  half-a-crown.    Was  not  it  a  mistake  ?  ' 

Edward  turned  as  red  as  a  girl  might  have 
done,  and  mumbled,  ^  She  had  lost  her's,  sir.' 

'  It  was  yours,  then  ?  You  meant  it  ? '  asked 
the  Rector,  in  a  kind  leading  voice,  that  seemed  to 
draw  out  of  Edward  the  exclamation — '  Oh,  sir,  I 
do  want  to  know  more  about  those  missionary 
gentlemen.' 

The  Rector  stopped,  and  smiled,  saying  :  *  Well, 
Mr.  Goodrich  is  the  man  to  tell  you.  He  is  pre- 
paring to  go  out  to  India  to  help  in  the  work 
there  as  soon  as  ' 

*  As  soon  as  there  is  reason  to  think  I  am  in 
some  degree  ready,'  said  Mr.  Goodrich  quietly  ; 
but  with  a  look  on  his  face  that  greatly  struck 
Edward.  '  Would  you  like  to  see  some  books, 
Bryant }  If  you  will  come  to  my  rooms  I  can 
lend  you  some  that  I  think  will  interest  you.' 

*  Thank  you,  sir ' ;  and  there  it  ended  for  that 
evening  with  Edward.    But   Mr.  Goodrich  said 


32 


THIRTY-FOLD 


eagerly,  as  they  returned  into  the  garden  :  *  A  nice 
chap,  that.  Are  there  hopes  of  any  purpose  in 
him?' 

*  No  man  can  say.  His  grandfather — great- 
grandfather, in  fact— is  an  unprosperous  old 
broken-down  farmer  of  the  stolid  stamp,  his 
mother  a  quiet,  overdone,  commonplace  woman. 
Troubles  and  hard  work  before  him,  I  should 
think,  and  no  sympathy  for  aspirations.' 


><x>oooocxK>oo<x>ooa 

i 

i 

i 

1 

■ 

□0<X>0C><X><X><><X>O<X><K><X<>O<X><X><X><X><>^ 

□□2_rz_ri_rz_rz_r2_s-7_rz_r7_rz_^7_rzA7_^^ 

CHAPTER  III 

GREAT  EXAMPLES 
Each  stepping  where  his  comrade  stood. — *  Marmion.' 

=^DWARD  set  out  for  his  walk  to  his 
grammar  school,  at  Cokeham,  at  eight 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  for  it  was 
nearly  an  hour's  distance,  and  this 
school  opened  at  nine.  Just  as  he  had  crossed 
the  fields  and  come  into  the  public  road,  he  was 
overtaken  by  Mr.  Goodrich,  also  on  his  way,  and 
they  walked  on  together,  the  boy  feeling  very 
shy,  and  as  if  he  would  rather  have  avoided  a 
whole  mile  alone  with  a  master ;  but  presently 
Mr.  Goodrich  said,  also  like  a  shy  man  : 

*You  would  like  to  borrow  a  book  of  mine 
about  missions  ? ' 

*  Yes,  sir  ;  thank  you.' 

C 


34 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


^  Is  there  any  you  would  especially  care  to 
hear  of  ? ' 

*  No,  sir.  There  were  so  many  in  the  lantern, 
and  it  does  seem  such  a  shame  that  nobody 
should  do  anything  for  those  poor  people.' 

*  Not  quite  nobody,'  replied  Mr.  Goodrich. 
*  There  have  been  noble  workers,  and  grand 
blessings  in  success  have  been  granted  to  them  ; 
but  many  more  are  wanted  before  the  promise 
shall  be  fulfilled,  "  The  earth  shall  be  filled  with 
the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea."  ' 

*  I  suppose  that  is  in  the  Bible,  sir  1 ' 

*  You  will  find  it  in  the  second  chapter  of 
Habakkuk,  and  very  nearly  the  same  in  the 
eleventh  of  Isaiah.  Those  were  the  very  last 
dying  words  of  the  good  Bishop  Broughton,  under 
whom  the  teaching  of  Australia  was  begun.' 

^  But  is  not  Australia  mostly  English  convicts 
and  settlers  } ' 

'  Not  convicts  in  these  days ;  but  there  are 
natives,  who  are  said  to  be  the  most  difficult 
persons  to  deal  with,  having  little  intelligence,  and 
great  wildness  and  savagery  ;  but  I  believe  that 
though  much  evil  has  been  done  to  them  by  angry, 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


35 


impatient  settlers,  in  what  one  can  only  call 
wickedness,  yet  a  way  to  the  hearts  of  some  has 
been  found  by  those  who  carry  out  our  Master's 
words  :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature  !  "  '  His  eye  was  on  the 
golden  east  as  he  spoke,  with  a  certain  tone  of 
eagerness  in  his  voice  that  touched  Edward  to 
the  heart,  and  made  him  almost  ready  to  take  off 
his  hat,  as  if  he  were  in  church. 

*  And  one  ought ! '  he  said  in  a  low  voice. 

*  I  did  not  say  that  everyone  ought,'  said  Mr. 
Goodrich,  '  only  those  to  whom  the  call  is  sent' 

*  I  should  like  to,'  muttered  Edward. 

'  Ah !  you  have  long  to  wait,  and  to  be  pre- 
pared before  the  call  can  come  to  you  ;  but  I  shall 
be  very  glad,  as  long  as  I  am  near  you,  to  give  you 
anything  to  read  that  can  be  a  help  in  knowing 
what  the  work  is,  and  who  are  the  men  who  have 
carried  it  out  thus  far.' 

At  this  moment,  two  other  scholars — George 
and  Jim  Sparrow — came  forth  from  a  field  path. 
They  generally  did  join  company  with  Edward 
Bryant ;  but  they  were  rather  surprised  to  see 
him  with  the  master,  who,  however,  shook  hands 
with  them  in  a  friendly  way,  and  began  at  once 

c  2 


36 


talking  about  the  next  football  match  just  in  an 
ordinary  tone,  to  which  the  boys  replied  stiffly 
and  shyly.  But  Edward  was  all  the  time  feeling 
that  he  should  never  think  of  Mr.  Goodrich  again 
quite  as  he  had  done  before  he  had  seen  the  light 
on  his  face.  When  they  had  entered  the  town, 
and  the  master  ran  up  to  his  lodgings,  George 
asked,  '  Whatever  were  you  about  with  old 
Goody  ? '  He  answered,  rather  gruffly,  *  He  had 
been  sleeping  out  at  our  parson's  at  Langbridge, 
and  was  going  our  way.' 

^  What  a  bore,'  responded  George,  and  Edward 
said  nothing  to  the  contrary.  He  would  not  for 
the  world  have  let  them,  or,  indeed,  scarcely  any 
one  else,  guess  at  the  thoughts  which  were  rising  in 
his  heart.  Indeed,  it  was  as  if  to  confirm  them 
that,  in  the  course  of  the  morning's  lesson,  an  atlas 
was  opened,  when,  by  some  accident,  a  map  was 
unfolded  which  showed  in  colours  the  various 
religions  prevailing  in  the  world,  and  Edward  was 
startled  to  see  how  small  a  proportion  had  the  red 
line  of  Christianity,  how  much  was  yellow  for 
Mohammedanism,  how  much  black  for  heathenism 
of  different  kinds.  He  was  so  struck  by  the 
thought  that  he  did  not  recall  his  attention  in 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


37 


time  to  answer  about  the  effect  of  the  distribution 
of  the  oceans  upon  climate,  and  Jim  Sparrow  took 
his  place. 

When  he  had  eaten  the  lunch  (or  dinner)  pro- 
vided by  his  mother,  he  went  in  to  Mr.  Goodrich's 
lodgings  :  he  was  taken  into  the  little  parlour,  bare 
of  most  things  excepting  one  print  of  St.  Paul 
preaching  at  Athens,  and  another  of  him  and  St. 
Barnabas  preventing  the  men  of  Lystra  from  sacri- 
ficing to  them  as  gods.  Mr.  Goodrich  had  gone  to 
speak  to  the  head-master,  but  he  had  left  half-a- 
dozen  books  out  on  the  table  with  a  message  by 
the  landlady  that  Bryant  was  to  look  at  them  and 
choose  which  he  would  like  to  borrow,  and  take 
it  home  if  he  himself  did  not  come  back  in  time 
before  school. 

Edward  peeped  into  one  after  another,  and 
thought  that  the  names  of  Bishops  Heber,  Patteson, 
Hannington  made  them  sound  too  grand  and  too 
formal,  and  '  Lionheart,'  the  title  of  one  book  about 
Bishop  Hannington  had  a  childish  air  about  the 
early  part,  which  he  was  just  old  enough  to  begin 
to  shun.  '  Henry  Martyn  '  looked  a  little  dry,  and 
he  was  most  attracted  by  the  scenes  in  the  life  of 
John  Paton  in  the  Pacific  islands  of  Tanna  and 


38 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


Aniwa,  where  the  black  bride  is  depicted  who  ap- 
peared at  public  service  with  all  the  European  gar- 
ments she  could  collect,  including  a  pair  of  sailor's 
trousers  thrown  over  her  shoulders  like  a  scarf. 
Also  there  was  the  wonder  and  delight  of  the 
natives  when  Mr.  Paton  dug  their  first  well,  and 
thus  w^on  their  hearts  to  him  as  a  wise  man,  to 
whose  words  they  might  listen.  There,  too,  was  a 
chief  in  his  ornaments,  performing  a  war  dance, 
but  declaring  that  no  god  had  ever  heard  his 
prayer  save  the  Jehovah  God  of  the  missionary, 
and,  in  the  next  picture,  burning  his  idols. 

Edward  was  caught  by  the  excellently  told 
history,  and  when  Mr.  Goodrich  returned,  held  up 
the  book,  saying  :  '  This,  if  you  please,  sir.' 

Mr.  Goodrich  was,  perhaps,  a  little  disappointed  ; 
but  he  said  :  '  Yes,  it  is  a  noble  story,  full  of  in- 
terest ;  an  excellent  one  to  begin  v/ith.  You  will 
remember  that  Mr.  Paton  was  a  good  and  faithful 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Kirk  of  Scotland — 
and  that  when  he  speaks  of  the  Church "  that 
is  what  he  means.  But  most  truly  do  the 
words  apply  to  him,  He  that  is  not  against  Me 
is  with  Me."  Yes,  take  the  book,  it  is  most 
inspiriting.' 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


39 


The  book  was  well  packed  up  in  brown  paper 
as  he  spoke,  not  only  to  protect  the  cover,  where  a 
savage  is  pointing  a  gun  at  Mr.  Paton,  but  to 
prevent  the  other  boys  from  seeing  it  and  chaffing 
about  *  Goody's  '  loan  ;  and,  as  it  was,  Bryant  had  to 
make  answer  whether  he  had  been  in  a  row  or  had 
a  *  jawing,'  or  what  Goody  could  have  wanted  with 
him. 

However,  he  brought  himself  and  his  book 
home  in  good  time,  and  was  very  soon  absorbed 
in  the  wonderful  and  simply  told  account  of  the 
daring  and  suffering  of  the  missionary,  which 
caught  his  whole  fancy,  so  that  he  could  hardly  be 
called  off  to  eat  his  supper  or  go  to  bed. 

Only  the  thought  that  Mr.  Goodrich  might 
take  away  the  book,  if  it  made  him  neglect  his 
tasks,  led  him  to  get  up  in  time  to  finish  his  sum 
and  prepare  his  construing  before  he  returned  to 
his  book  in  the  morning ;  and  when  he  committed 
it  to  his  mother's  charge,  as  if  it  were  the  most 
precious  thing  in  the  world,  he  begged  her  to 
read  it,  telling  her  she  would  never  be  able  to 
leave  it. 

She  laughed,  and  said :  *  And  what  would  become 
of  your  shirts  or  grandpa's  dinner  if  I  sat  dawdling 


40 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


that  way  ?  No,  no  ;  books  are  all  very  well  for  you 
young  folks,  but  I  have  plenty  besides  to  do.' 

Somehow  Edward  became  more  and  more 
taken  up  with  Mr.  Paton  ;  he  told  the  stories  to  the 
Millar  girls,  only  Frances  said  she  did  not  want  to 
know  anything  about  those  tiresome  missionaries 
and  black  people,  and  Aline  grew  wearied,  counted 
her  knitting,  and  merely  said  '  Oh,'  at  proper  in- 
tervals ;  but  little  Mabel  was  never  tired  of  listening, 
and  always  sidled  up  to  ask  whether  Eddy  had  read 
any  more  about  the  funny  black  men. 

It  did  not  do  much  good  to  his  studies,  and 
when,  after  twice  reading  the  book  over,  he  brought 
it  back  to  Mr.  Goodrich,  and  ventured  to  ask  for 
another,  *  There  was  no  reading  like  it,'  he  said. 

*Yes,  it  stirs  one's  spirit,'  said  Mr.  Goodrich, 
with  his  eye  on  St.  Paul's  uplifted  hand. 

*  To  go  after  them  t '  said  Edward,  with  bated 
breath. 

'  Yes  ;  but,  Bryant,  have  you  been  working  at 
your  present  duties  as  you  ought  ? '  And,  as  the 
colour  came  up  in  the  lad's  face  :  *  I  have  had  to 
make  many  more  marks  in  this  essay  than  usual  ; 
and  Mr.  Bell  tells  me  your  arithmetic  has  been 
hurried   through,   without   proper   attention.  If 


GREAT  EXAMPLES  41 

these  books  take  you  from  your  right  employ- 
ments, they  become  temptations,  and  I  cannot  lend 
you  more/ 

'  Oh,  sir,  ril  try/ 

*  Make  this  resolution,  Bryant,  or  I  shall  not 
feel  justified  in  making  you  the  loan  of  this  Life  of 
Bishop  Mackenzie."  Never  touch  it  till  you  can 
honestly  feel  that  you  have  properly  prepared 
for  the  next  day's  work.' 

*  I  won't,  sir,  I  promise ;  but  ' 

'  But  what } ' 

'  It  doesn't  seem  of  much  good  to  a  missionary.' 

'  Doesn't  it,  my  dear  old  chap  ?  Well,  is  the 
missionary  to  go  out  without  power  of  calculation 
or  estimate — in  case  he  finds  himself  prime  minister 
to  some  tribe,  or  to  deal  with  subscriptions  ?  Or, 
as  to  knowledge  of  soils,  could  Baton  have  dug 
his  well  without  it  ?  Or  if  he  only  knows  his  English 
Bible  and  Prayer-book,  would  he  be  competent  to 
translate  or  explain  the  Greek — not  to  say  the 
Hebrew — words  in  their  proper  force  ?  Depend  upon 
it,  all  you  learn  here  is  so  much  preparation  for 
the  strange,  indescribable  work  you  may  have  to 
undertake.  Besides,  to  get  one  of  the  scholarships 
would  be  the  very  way  to  help  you  to  the  work.' 


42 


GREAT  EXAMPLES 


^  I  see,  sir/  said  the  boy  with  more  alacrity. 

*  And,  the  most  important  preparation  of  all — 
that  of  knowing  how  to  give  up  your  own  will  and 
enthusiastic  fancy  for  the  sake  of  an  immediate 
dry  duty.' 

The  school  bell  rang,  they  both  started  up  to 
the  *  immediate  dry  duty '  ;  but  the  words  stayed 
with  Edward. 


CHAPTER  IV 


COLD  WATER 

All  things  are  best  fulfilled  in  their  due  time, 
And  there  is  time  for  all  things. — Milton. 

DWARD  tried  to  bear  in  mind  and  act 
upon  Mr.  Goodrich's  advice  and  his  own 
promise  ;  but  he  did  not  find  it  always 
easy  to  do  so.  There  was  the  strong 
temptation  to  slur  over  his  work,  and  if  he  found 
a  doubtful  word  in  the  lexicon,  to  make  it  do^  and 
not  seek  any  further  ;  or  if  his  sum  would  not  prove, 
to  decide  that  the  proof  must  be  wrong,  and  let  it 
go,  even  if  his  answer  had  not  common  sense. 
That  would  probably  have  been  the  case  with 
anything  he  was  eager  about ;  but  his  grandfather 
began  to  observe  how  much  he  read,  and  when  he 
was  catching  every  moment  available  before  start- 
ing for  school,  or  curled  up  in  the  window  seat  on 


44 


COLD  WATER 


a  Saturday,  would  come  on  him  with,  *  Holloa  ! 
what  are  you  after  ?  We  don't  want  bookworms ! 
A  young  chap  like  you  ought  to  be  after  foot- 
ball or  somewhat. 

'  Football  ain't  come  in  yet,'  said  Edward. 

(Grunt) — '  There's  enough  for  any  lad  to  do  that 
has  got  a  mind  to  it.  You've  not  been  out  rabbit- 
ing lately,  and  they  are  punishing  the  turnips  in  the 
Outfield  like  a  flock  of  locusts.' 

'  You  were  at  me  last  time  for  wanting  to  take 
your  gun,'  muttered  Edward. 

'  Eh  !  what's  that  ?  Gun  ?  Ay — take  it ;  only 
mind  what  you  are  about  with  it.  Don't  shoot 
yourself  or  old  Barnes  ;  and  mind  you  bring 
home  enough  of  the  little  thieves  for  Missus's 
pudding  here.' 

That  old-fashioned  fowling-piece  was  a  great 
treasure  of  Mr.  Bryant's,  and  though  his  great- 
grandson  had  long  ago  learnt  to  use  guns,  it 
always  made  him  angry  for  the  lad  to  touch  it ; 
so  it  was  plain  that  it  was  meant  as  a  bribe  to 
forsake  the  beloved  book.  However,  as  Edward 
tramped  out,  with  the  weapon  on  his  shoulder,  he 
was  thinking  of  the  joy  of  releasing  a  poor  negro 
from  a  heavy  yoke  of  timber  shaped  like  a  Y,  and 


'IS  THAT  ALL  YOUR  BAG  (    DEMANDED  HIS 

grandfather:  p.  45. 


COLD  WATER 


45 


debating  in  his  mind  whether  it  were  permissible 
for  a  missionary  to  fight  in  such  a  cause. 

When  he  saw  the  poor  bunnies  scudding  away, 
and  showing  their  little  white  tails  as  they 
rushed  for  their  burrows  in  the  copse,  his  spirit  rose 
to  them,  and  he  shot  three,  and  carried  them 
home  triumphantly  over  his  shoulder,  with  the 
greater  satisfaction  because  Billy  Blake  came  and 
envied  him  his  gun,  and  wanted  very  much  to 
handle  it,  which  Eddy  was  too  wise,  or  too 
obedient,  or  both,  to  allow  him  to  do. 

*  Is  that  all  your  bag? '  demanded  his  grand- 
father. *  When  I  was  your  age  I  should  have 
been  ashamed  to  bring  home  no  more  than  that, 
with  only  an  old  flintlock  fowling-piece,  too  !  But 
boys  are  not  boys  now.' 

So  he  mourned  and  growled  while  he  was 
eating  the  rabbit  pudding  which  Mrs.  Bryant  had 
made  so  carefully  with  onions  and  beautiful  suet. 
He  ate  it,  indeed  two  helpings  ;  but  declared  all  the 
time  that  if  Ted  had  been  half  the  chap  he  was  at 
his  age,  they  would  be  eating  the  conies  instead 
of  the  bunnies — the  conies  —  preying  on  his 
*  turmots '  ! 

Opposition  is  apt  to  make  people,  especially 


46 


COLD  WATER 


lads,  more  and  more  earnest  in  their  own  pursuits, 
and  the  more  Edward's  reading  was  interfered 
with  the  more  set  upon  it  he  grew.  He  dreamt 
a  good  deal  over  his  plans,  and  worked  diligently 
since  he  had  been  told  that  the  scholarship  would  be 
the  first  step.  Even  his  mother,  though  at  first  she 
liked  anything  that  kept  him  quiet  and  out  of  mis- 
chief, began  to  wish  he  was  more  like  other  lads,  and 
to  snub  him  when  he  tried  to  tell  her  of  some  strange 
adventure,  a  noble  exploit,  a  wonderful  conversion. 

'  There  you  are  at  it  again  ;  I'm  quite  sick  of 
hearing  of  those  nasty  Red  Indian  blacks.' 

'  Oh,  mamma,  you  know  better  ;  Red  Indians 
ain't  black.' 

'  All  the  same,  horrid  murderous  savages,  that 
would  take  your  scalp  and  eat  3'ou  as  soon  as  that 
porker,'  said  Mrs.  Bryant,  who,  perhaps  out  of 
perversity,  had  mixed  up  her  geography,  though 
she  had  once  known  better.  And  it  was  worse 
when  i\Ir.  Bryant  happened  to  fall  upon  a  book 
with  a  map,  and  a  coloured  picture  of  the  Red 
Indians  in  all  the  feathers  and  war  paint. 

'  Holloa  !  You've  got  one  of  those  missionary 
papers  again.  That's  what  you  are  always  after, 
is  it  ?  ' 


COLD  WATER 


47 


*  I  wish  you  would  speak  to  him,  grandpapa/ 
wailed  Mrs.  Bryant.  '  He  is  always  at  them — 
neglecting  his  studies  and  all.' 

'  I  never  do ;  IVe  promised  not/  muttered 
Edward  under  his  breath  ;  but  he  w^as  not  heard, 
except  by  his  mother,  who  was  generally  ready  to 
take  his  part  ;  but  just  now  had  been  made  angry. 

^  Well,  his  studies  ;  maybe  that's  his  master's 
look-out ;  though  I'm  sure  he  doesn't  give  half  time 
enough  to  them.  But,  as  for  the  rest,  I  told  him 
to  run  out  and  cut  me  a  bit  of  parsley  for  the  cold 
pork.  "  All  right,  ma/'  he  says  ;  never  stirs,  and 
I  may  go  and  whistle  for  my  parsley.' 

*  I  only  wanted  to  finish  ' 

*  Ay,  that's  the  way,'  broke  in  the  grand- 
father. *  I  tell  you  what,  Ted,  you  are  going  just 
the  way  to  be  good  for  nothing.  A  scholar  won't 
make  nothing  of  this  here  farm.' 

^  No  one  will  make  much  of  the  farm,'  muttered 
Edward,  who  was  old  enough  to  have  some  notion 
of  the  state  of  affairs  ;  but  he  could  not  have 
said  a  more  unsuitable  thing,  for  it  put  his  grand- 
father into  such  a  passion  as  he  had  never  seen 
before. 

In  a  rage,  the  old  man  went  back  to  the 


48  COLD  WATER 

rougher  language  of  his  youth.  He  swore  that  all 
this  impertinent  idleness  came  of  his  being  given 
to  that  reading,  and  snatched  at  the  book  to  throw 
it  into  the  fire.  Edward  threw  it  into  his  much 
terrified  mother's  lap,  crying  out  that  it  was  not 
his,  but  Mr.  Goodrich's —and  this,  though  it  saved 
the  book,  stirred  up  a  fresh  storm.  '  If  I  find  one 
of  them  books  about  again,  I'll  Goodrich  it,  you 
may  tell  the  parson  fellow.  So  that's  what  he's  up 
to !  Putting  all  this  stuff  in  your  head  and 
making  you  turn  against  the  station  where  God 
has  called  you.  That  was  what  the  catechis  "  said 
in  my  time  ;  but  now  you  must  be  after  all  this  rot 
and  rubbish  !  One  word  more  of  it,  and  I'll  have 
you  home  from  your  new-fangled  school,  and  make 
my  fine  gentleman  follow  the  plough,  as  your 
betters  have  done  before  you.' 

He  struck  his  thick  oaken  staff  upon  the  floor  as  he 
spoke  with  worse  words  of  wrath  than  are  here  set 
down,  and  Mrs.  Bryant,  dreadfully  frightened,  and 
expecting  every  moment  that  he  would  bring  on  a  fit, 
hustled  her  son  out  of  the  room  as  fast  as  she  could. 
Edward  had  a  notion  of  staying  to  protect  her,  but 
she  hastily  said  :  *  Oh  !  no,  no  ;  you  only  make  it 
worse.    Go  off  to  bed  and  have  done  with  it' 


COLD  WATER 


49 


He  could  not  go  to  bed,  but  sat  on  the  stairs  in 
the  dark,  hearing  the  grufif,  angry  voice  roar  at 
her  till  it  died  away  in  coughs,  and  though  it  broke 
out  again,  once  or  twice,  there  was  at  last  a  lull, 
and  it  was  plain  that  the  old  gentleman  was 
smoking  himself  into  a  calmer  state. 

Edward  ventured  noiselessly  to  come  down 
into  the  kitchen  to  get  a  candle  and  some  supper, 
and  presently  his  mother  came  out  to  him,  looking 
quite  pale  after  what  she  had  gone  through,  and 
bringing  the  book. 

*  Take  it  away,  Eddy,'  she  whispered,  holding 
up  her  hand  so  as  to  show  that  the  silence  must  be 
preserved  ;  *  and  never  you  bring  one  in  again. 
How  could  you  ?  I  thought  he  might  have  died  of 
it,  and  then  what  would  you  have  felt  ? ' 

*  But,  mother,  you  know  yourself,  that  ' 

*  Hush,  hush  !  He  is  your  great-grandfather — 
over  eighty  years  old  ;  no  need  to  vex  him.  'Twill 
all  come  after  ' 

*  And  then  I  shall  have  got  the  scholarship, 
and  be  educated,  and  be  free  to  go  out  and  give 
myself  ' 

His  mother  nearly  screamed  out  her  *  Non- 
sense.' 

D 


COLD  WATER 


'  I  mean  it,  mother/  he  said,  wound  up  as  he 
was  by  the  excitement  of  the  night. 

*Then  you  mean  just  to  break  my  heart,'  she 
declared,  bursting  into  tears  and  suppressed  sobs, 
partly  the  effect  of  the  scene  she  had  gone  through, 
but  partly  the  outbreak  of  the  dismay  that  had 
been  growing  upon  her  ever  since  she  had  begun 
to  watch  the  course  of  Edward's  reading. 

'  You  ought  not  to  say  that,  mother.  It  is  the 
most  noble  thing  a  man  can  do,  to  work  for  his 
Master,  and  to  spread  His  Name  among  the  poor 
heathens  that  have  never  known  Him  ! ' 

'  Oh,  oh  ! '  But  it  might  be  well  for  both 
that  there  were  sounds  like  waking  in  old  Mr. 
Bryant's  sitting-room,  and  outside,  the  steps  of  the 
maid  coming  home  from  her  message.  The 
mother  composed  herself,  and  Edward  ran  up  to 
his  bed,  in  a  state  of  passion  and  of  dismay,  and 
feeling  that  no  one  save  himself  and  Mr.  Good- 
rich cared  for  the  House  of  God  or  the  spread  of 
His  Name. 

Still  he  was  not  wholly  comfortable  as  to  meet- 
ing his  mother  when  he  came  down  the  next 
morning.  He  never  knew  whether  he  should 
meet    his    grandfather,   who    sometimes,  when 


COLD  WATER 


51 


rheumatic,  did  not  come  down  till  very  late,  but  at 
other  times  would  be  exceedingly  early  in  rising, 
wander  about  the  home  buildings,  rating  the  men 
— who  never  minded  how  ^  Old  Master '  abused 
them — and  coming  in  long  after  Edward  was  ofif 
to  school,  and  lecturing  on  ^the  benefit  of  the 
master's  eye,'  and  growling  at  every  one's  idleness, 
till  he  fell  asleep. 

Edward  was  glad  to  see  his  boots  outside  the 
door,  and  to  gather  that  it  was  a  sleeping  morning. 
His  mother  had  a  nice  breakfast  for  him,  and 
perhaps  both  felt  a  little  shy  as  he  ate  in  haste, 
and  the  subject  was  not  entered  on  till  he  was 
taking  down  his  overcoat,  when  she  said,  *  Here's 
the  book,  Eddy,  and  don't  you  borrow  any  more. 
It  only  upsets  the  old  gentleman  ;  and  don't  let  me 
hear  more  of  that  nonsense  of  yours.  You  could 
not  do  it  yet,  not  for  years  to  come,  and  I  hope  by 
that  time  you'll  be  grown  wiser.' 

'  No  such  thing '  ;  but,  happily,  he  was  wise 
enough  to  keep  the  muttering  between  his  teeth, 
as  he  swung  his  strap  over  his  shoulder  and  strode 
off,  without  his  usual  good-bye  to  his  mother,  who 
looked  after  him,  a  good  deal  pained  that,  as  she 
would  have  said,  her  boy  was  getting  beyond  her, 

D  2 


COLD  WATER 


and  with  no  question  in  her  mind  but  that  she  was 
right  and  he  was  fooHsh,  and,  might  be,  headstrong. 

He,  on  his  side,  was  debating  whether  they  had 
any  right  to  interfere  with  his  reading,  when  it 
was  of  such  a  kind,  and  whether  he  should  not  go 
on  with  it  in  spite  of  them,  hiding  his  books  in  the 
cart  shed,  or  getting  AHne  to  take  care  of  them. 
At  his  age,  surely  he  might  choose  what  he  liked  ! 
If  it  were  *  Jack  Sheppard  '  or  any  of  the  sporting 
books  the  other  boys  liked,  they  might  object ;  but 
a  book  like  this,  and  lent  him  by  his  tutor — there 
could  not  possibly  be  any  reasonable  cause  for 
hindering  him.  He  was  sure  Mr.  Goodrich  would 
say  the  same.  His  wrath  had  made  him  stride  on 
so  fast  that  he  found  he  should  be  able  to  avail 
himself  of  the  half  hour  allowed  for  breakfast 
before  school,  and  he  made  his  way  to  the 
lodgings  at  once. 

Mr.  Goodrich  rose  up  from  his  letters  and  his 
paper  with  '  Good-morning,  Bryant ;  have  you 
come  to  change  your  book  already  ? ' 

*  I  have  it  here,  sir,  thank  you  ;  but  I  want  to 
know  whether  they  have  a  right  to  stop  my 
reading  ? ' 

'  Who  are  they  ? ' 


COLD  WATER 


53 


*  My  grandfather-  great-grandfather  he  is/  said 
Edward,  as  if  that  put  it  a  Httle  further  off,  *  he  has 
set  on  mother,  and  they  made  ever  such  a  row,  and 
say  I  must  not  have  such  books,  and  I  don't  see 
that  they  have  any  right.  It  is  not  as  if  they  were 
bad  books,  but  when  you  lend  them  to  me, 
sir  ' 

*  Hold  hard,  Bryant ;  I  don't  think  I  have  the 
right,  as  you  say,  to  lend  you  what  is  disapproved 
by  your  authorities  at  home.' 

Edward's  face  fell.   '  Won't  you,  then,  sir  } ' 

*  Not  unless  I  could  have  a  talk  with  your 
mother  about  it,  and  get  her  consent' 

*  I  don't  know  that  it  would  be  any  good,  sir. 
She  is  awfully  afraid  of  the  old  gentleman,  when 
he  gets  into  one  of  his  tantrums  ;  and,  besides,  she 
says  it  would  just  break  her  heart  if  I  was  to  go 
out  as  a  missionary.' 

*  She  may  think  differently  by  the  time  you  are 
old  enough,'  said  Mr.  Goodrich. 

*  Only,  sir,'  said  Edward,  'she  might  do  some- 
thing that  would  always  hinder  me.  There's  this 
old  farm  that  is  tied  round  my  neck  just  like  a 
burden — not  that  I  don't  like  the  place.  It  has 
belonged  to  us  since  Queen  Anne's  time,  worse 


54 


COLD  WATER 


luck  ;  but  it  has  got  muddled  and  mortgaged,  and 
all  sorts  of  things  ;  and  they  say  if  it  comes  to  me 
I  shall  never  make  anything  of  it,  and  shall  have 
to  live  the  life  of  a  labourer,  all  for  nothing,  and  I 
don't  want  to  be  bound  down  to  do  that  just  to 
pacify  the  old  man,  who  does  not  half  know  what 
he  is  thinking  of  - 

^  I  see,'  said  Mr.  Goodrich,  'it  is  a  hard 
situation,  and  a  great  trial  to  be  patient  and 
dutiful.  Your  work  for  the  scholarship  is  in  any 
way  a  preparation.  Remember,  your  training  for 
the  present  must  be  to  submit  in  patience.  It  is 
the  way  to  make  a  man  of  you,  and  more,  a 
servant  of  God  !  There's  the  bell,  we  must  be  off 
Only,  my  dear  lad,  bethink  you,  when  you  say 
your  prayers,  to  add  the  Easter-day  Collect,  and  I 
think  you  will  find  that  God  will  bring  your 
desire  to  good  effect  in  whatever  way  it  will  be.' 

Edward  was  not  at  all  delighted  with  his  con- 
versation, nor  even  to  hear  again  that  Mr.  Goodrich 
thought  he  had  a  good  chance  of  the  scholarship. 
He  thought  he  had  more  arguments  to  bring 
forward  ;  but  Mr.  Goodrich  was  going  out  to 
luncheon,  and  engaged  later  in  the  day.  He  went 
home  walking  hotly  and  sharply  ;  but  as  he  came 


COLD  WATER 


55 


near  the  hedge  of  the  Millars'  garden  he  heard 
MabeFs  voice  going  on  as  if  she  were  reading,  and, 
peeping  through  the  hedge,  he  beheld  her  standing 
in  the  midst  of  a  half-circle  of  dolls — one  black 
and  curly,  another  fair  and  waxen,  a  third  with  no 
complexion  to  speak  of,  a  fourth  very  like  a 
painted  monkey.  *  Now,  my  dear  black  brethren 
and  sisters,  you  had  better  renounce  your  idols 
that  are  only  wood  and  stone,  and  leave  off  bury- 
ing your  poor  babies,  and  tying  up  their  toes  all 
horrid,  and  getting  into  rivers  to  die  and  burning 
yourselves  to  death  with  your  husbands  !  Don't ! 
I  am  come  to  preach  to  you  better  things,  and  to 
bring  to  you  the  blessed  Bible/ 

*  Mabel,  Mabel,  Mab — come  in,'  called  Frances. 
'  You  are  at  that  silly  play  again  that  mamma  says 
is  just  profane,  and  you  have  been  and  taken  my 
Bellanina  again  that  Lady  Mary  gave  me !  Out 
in  the  sun  and  dirt  too  ;  come  in  directly,  you 
naughty  child  ! ' 

*  Ah  !  It  is  all  play  and  nonsense,'  muttered 
Edward  to  himself ;  '  no  better  with  me  than  with 
poor  Mab !  That's  what  the  world  is  made  of 
— care  for  nothing  ! ' 


CHAPTER  V 


TURNED  ASIDE 

I  watch  them  drift,  the  youthful  aspirations, 
Shores,  landmarks,  beacons,  drift  alike. 

C.  KiNGSLEY. 

DWARD  BRYANT  seemed  to  lose 
heart,  or  to  throw  it  into  another 
direction,  after  his  interview  with  Mr. 
Goodrich.  He  felt  affronted  as  well 
as  disappointed,  and  did  not  try  again.  He  hoped 
that  the  master  would  have  talked  to  his  mother, 
and  though  there  was  no  great  reason  to  expect 
much  to  be  gained,  yet  still  he  felt  it  was  due  to 
him.  He  did  not  know  what  searchings  of  heart 
the  young  tutor  had  with  himself,  in  his  real  affec- 
tion for  the  lad,  and  desire  to  win  so  promising  a 
recruit  for  the  mission  field,  and  his  own  sense  of 


TURNED  ASIDE 


57 


duty  and  fair  dealing  towards  the  boy's  mother 
and  grandfather. 

He  did  talk  of  the  matter  with  the  rector  of 
the  parish,  Mr.  Fraser,  but  was  advised  by  him  to 
let  it  alone.  *  Poor  Mrs.  Bryant  is  a  timid  woman, 
and  evidently  much  afraid  of  the  old  man.  Even 
if  you  could  see  her  without  his  interfering,  I  do 
not  think  you  would  be  able  to  make  her  under- 
stand the  responsibility  of  interfering  with  his 
aspirations.  Of  course,  at  his  age,  there  is  no 
knowing  whether  the  call  is  real,  or  whether  there 
is  only  interest  in  adventure.  Indeed,  it  is  quite 
doubtful  whether  he  ought  to  go.' 

Mr.  Goodrich,  who  had  his  family's  blessing 
and  approval,  could  hardly  enter  into  the  rector's 
scruples.  But  he  gave  way  when  the  argument 
that  he  had  himself  used  was  applied,  namely, 
that  thirteen  years  was  too  early  an  age  to  build 
upon,  and  that  the  really  best  preparation  would 
be  such  dutifulness  as  would  form  a  sound,  manly, 
godly  character. 

But  at  the  beginning  of  the  Easter  holidays 
came  an  urgent  call  from  the  Bishop  of  Saskatche- 
wan for  men  who  were  likely  to  stand  the  climate 
to  go  out  with  him  to  the  mission  to  the  Canadian 


58 


TURNED  ASIDE 


Indians.  The  head-master  consented  to  the  en- 
gagement being  given  up,  and  Mr.  Goodrich  only 
returned  to  the  school,  before  the  term  began,  in 
much  haste  to  bid  farewell  and  pack  up  his  pro- 
perties, nor  did  Edward  hear  of  his  visit  till  it 
was  over,  or  that  he  had  left  a  kind  message  for 
him. 

But  already  the  world  had  seemed  changed  to 
Edward  with  the  overthrow  of  his  dream  and 
purpose.  He  did  not  like  to  walk  to  church  with 
Mabel  Millar,  who  always  expected  him  to  tell  her 
a  missionary  story,  and  when  he  told  her  instead 
a  ridiculous  tale  about  the  cherry  tree  that  grew 
out  of  a  horse's  back,  she  was  vexed,  and  said  it 
was  not  what  she  wanted. 

He  hung  back  so  as  not  to  overtake  the  girls 
on  their  way  to  church,  and  on  going  out,  joined 
company  with  some  other  lads,  older  than  himself, 
and  of  a  rather  lower  grade,  whom  he  was  used 
to  meet  at  cricket  matches. 

They  were  talking  about  an  expedition  to  an 
old  ruin  four  miles  off,  full  of  jackdaws'  nests,  and 
they  turned  to  him  laughing,  saying  it  was  of  no 
use  asking  such  a  swell  to  go ;  and  another  de- 
clared he  was  half  a  parson,  and  of  course  he 


TURNED  ASIDE 


59 


would  not  meddle  with  *  parson  birds/  he  was  just 
like  them.  Afraid  they  had  discovered  his  mis- 
sionary inclination,  Edward  loudly  disavowed  all 
idea  of  being  a  parson,  declared  (and  believed  it) 
that  his  affections  were  set  on  a  tame  jackdaw, 
and  undertook  to  meet  the  other  lads  after  they 
had  gone  home  and  had  their  dinner. 

And  so  he  did  ;  but  the  expedition  was  not  very 
successful.  The  walk  took  longer  than  had  been 
expected,  and  was  wearisome  in  spite  of  the  lads 
cutting  sticks  and  sparring  with  each  other,  with  a 
good  deal  of  chaffing  and  holloaing.  And  when 
at  length  the  half-dozen  lads  reached  the  ivy- 
grown  old  ruin,  and  Jack  Bowser  had  climbed  up, 
causing  a  prodigious  row  among  the  jackdaws, 
who  flew  out,  croaking  and  chattering,  he  found 
nothing  but  eggs  ;  and  suddenly  a  keeper  came  out 
from  some  unknown  quarter,  and  roared  at  them 
to  be  off.  My  lord  would  not  have  the  place 
meddled  with,  and  if  he  caught  them  there  again 
he  would  have  them  up  for  trespass.  Sims,  the 
biggest  and  most  impudent,  who  was  apprenticed 
in  the  town,  tried  to  reply  with  some  sauce  about 
*  Holloa,  leggings,  don't  you  wish  you  may  get  it' 
But,  of  course,  this  only  made  him  more  angry, 


6o 


TURNED  ASIDE 


and  threaten  them  with  immediate  ^  prosecution/  so 
that  they  had  to  flee — till  they  were  out  of  breath  ; 
and  Sims  having  a  shilling  in  his  pocket,  proposed 
to  turn  into  a  public-house  and  have  a  glass  of  beer 
all  round,  which  startled  Edward  Bryant,  who  had 
no  notion  of  doing  any  such  thing,  and,  besides, 
had  no  money  in  his  Sunday  coat.  *  His  mammy 
won't  trust  him,'  was  the  cry,  and  *  Never  mind, 
we'll  treat  you.' 

It  hurt  his  pride,  and  he  would  have  marched 
on,  but  the  more  good-natured  Hill  drew  him  in  ; 
and  though  not  much  money,  yet  much  time,  was 
spent  in  somewhat  rude  chaffing  and  fun,  and 
the  lads  did  not  set  out  for  home  till  far  too 
late  for  evensong.  This  was  nothing  to  them, 
but  Edward  had  of  late  been  generally  regular 
in  attendance,  though,  so  far  as  his  home  was  con- 
cerned, he  could  do  as  he  pleased  as  to  the  second 
service. 

On  the  whole,  his  mother  was  far  from  ob- 
jecting when  he  said  he  had  been  for  a  walk  with 
*  some  other  chaps.'  In  fact,  perhaps  she  viewed  it 
as  a  sign  that  the  wild  project,  which  she  dreaded, 
was  passing  from  his  mind. 

And  so  it  was,  though  perhaps  it  might  be 


TURNED  ASIDE  6i 

doubted  whether  the  course  of  these  Easter  holi- 
days left  her  thinking  about  her  only  son  as 
happily  as  she  had  done  before.  He  was,  perhaps, 
growing  too  old  to  be  satisfied  with  the  Millar 
girls  as  companions  ;  and  it  was  unreasonable  to  be 
vexed  when  he  proved  not  to  be  with  them,  but 
about  somewhere  with  Bowser,  Sims  &  Co.,  and 
coming  home  later  and  later  in  the  evening.  The 
old  man  growled  at  her  nonsense,  when  the 
lad  was  only  getting  to  be  something  like  a 
boy  at  last,  and  he  would  not  have  him  meddled 
with. 

The  effect  was,  that  when  the  holidays  were 
over,  and  school  work  began  again,  Edward  could 
not  settle  down  to  diligence.  His  holiday  task 
had  only  been  hurried  over,  and  was  far  from 
perfection,  and  that  slow,  plodding,  dull  James 
Sparrow  soon  passed  him  ;  and  he  saw  less  and 
less  chance  of  carrying  off  the  scholarship,  but  he 
did  not  care.  His  only  desire  was  for  diversion 
that  might  fill  up  his  mind,  and  keep  it  from 
reverting  to  the  happy  days  of  Mr.  Goodrich.  So 
it  was  that,  whenever  there  was  a  row,  Bryant  was 
sure  to  be  concerned  in  it,  and  it  came  at  last  to 
the  head-master  writing  to  his   mother  that  if 


62 


TURNED  ASIDE 


things  went  on  in  this  way,  he  should  have  to 
consider  whether  to  retain  him. 

With  many  tears,  she  spoke  to  Edward,  and 
received  only  a  rough,  churlish  answer,  telling  her 
that  women  and  schoolmasters  were  the  greatest  hum- 
bugs in  the  world,  and  he  had  been  doing  nothing. 

Then,  when  he  was  startled  by  seeing  that  he 
had  made  her  cry,  he  gave  her  a  hug,  and  told  her 
not  to  mind  what  a  horrid  old  fogey  might  say. 
Which  did  not  comfort  her  much,  except  that 
she  told  the  head-master,  also  Dr.  Millar,  that  her 
Edward  was  such  an  affectionate  boy. 

The  first  thing  that  made  any  difference  in  his 
goings  on  was  that  his  grandfather  had  a  stroke. 
Edward  came  home,  much  later  than  he  ought  to 
have  done,  to  find  candles  flaring  about  the  house, 
Dr.  Millar  in  the  old  man's  room,  his  mother  on 
the  stairs  watching  for  him,  and  all  in  confusion. 
They  did  not  expect  Mr.  Bryant  to  live  through 
the  night,  and  when  Edward  was  drawn  into  the 
room,  heard  the  snoring  gasps,  and  saw  the  drawn, 
unconscious  face,  he  was  very  much  shocked. 

Dr.  Millar  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and 
said  :  *  Get  your  mother  to  go  down  with  you  and 
eat  some  supper.    She  will  have  a  great  deal  to  go 


TURNED  ASIDE 


63 


through  to-night,  and  she  should  take  some  food  to 
enable  her  to  go  through  with  it.' 

Edward  was  too  awe-struck  to  speak  much,  but 
he  took  hold  of  her  hand  in  the  coaxing  way  he 
had  not  used  for  a  long  time,  and  said,  *  Come, 
mamma,  do  ! ' 

'  Yes,  go  ;  you  ought  to  give  him  his  supper,' 
said  the  doctor,  ^  and  take  some  yourself.' 

*  Poor  boy !  he  has  had  nothing  to  eat,'  she 
answered,  in  a  dreamy  way  ;  but  she  let  him  lead 
her  downstairs,  and  sat  at  the  table,  helping  him 
and  mechanically  herself,  while  she  told  him  how, 
when  she  was  busy  in  the  kitchen,  Alice  the  maid 
had  called  her,  saying  that  master  was  in  a  fit,  and 
there  he  was,  almost  dropping  out  of  his  chair,  in 
the  same  state  as  at  present.  They  had  called  in 
the  shuffler  to  get  him  upstairs,  but  they  could  not 
do  it  till  Dr.  Millar  came  and  helped.  She  made 
sure  that  he  was  struck  for  death,  and  she  let 
herself  cry  a  good  deal,  as  she  had  not  dared 
to  do  since  the  first,  and  said  he  had  been  her 
only  friend,  and  what  would  become  of  them 
now  ? 

Edward  was  confused  and  puzzled  ;  but  he 
wished  to  comfort  her,  so  he  came  over  and  kissed 


64 


TURNED  ASIDE 


her,  and  said,  *  Never  mind,  mother,  youVe  got 
me,  and  Til  do  all  I  can.' 

He  had  not  kissed  her  since  the  days  when  he 
first  went  to  school,  and  it  was  a  great  comfort  and 
pleasure  to  her,  before  she  was  obliged  to  rise  up 
and  prepare  for  her  night  watch,  sending  him  to 
bed,  and  promising  to  call  him  if  there  were  any 
change.  And  Edward,  as  he  knelt  by  his  own 
little  bed,  prayed  the  first  real,  though  very 
incoherent  and  uncertain,  prayers  that  he  had  put 
up  since  Mr.  Goodrich  discouraged  his  missionary 
'  castles.' 


CHAPTER  VI 


HOME  CARES 

Nothing  useless  is  or  low, 

Each  thing  in  its  place  is  best ; 
And  what  seems  but  idle  show- 
Strengthens  and  supports  the  rest. 

Longfellow. 

LD  Mr.  Bryant  did  not  die  that  night. 
^  Much  the  same '  was  the  report  in 
the  morning,  and  so  it  continued. 
Edward  stayed  at  home  for  a  day  or 
two,  to  take  messages  and  help  his  mother  about 
the  farm  business  ;  but  by  the  Sunday,  it  was 
decided  that  he  had  better  go  back  to  his  school- 
ing, as  long  as  there  was  no  change. 

Old  Barnes  had  really  managed  pretty  much 
as  he  pleased  for  months  past,  paying  little  or  no 
attention  to  growling  orders  from  his  master,  and 
he  could  go  on  in  the  same  way  as  long  as  the 
old  gentleman  was  likely  to  survive. 

E 


66 


HOME  CARES 


He  could  speak  after  about  a  week,  but  so 
indistinctly  that  hardly  any  one  could  understand 
him  ;  and  he  could  sit  up,  though  one  hand  and 
one  foot  were  useless.  Poor  Mrs.  Bryant,  it  was  a 
terrible  time  for  her,  for  she  had  always  to  be  at 
his  call,  day  or  night,  and  had  all  the  household 
business  on  her  hands,  besides  the  poultry  and 
the  dairy,  and  only  an  untrained  girl  to  help  her. 

They  brought  in  Mrs.  Barnes,  Tom's  wife, 
a  rough,  homely  dame,  as  charwoman,  and  she 
could  manage  the  patient  better  than  any  one  ;  for 
he  never  was  inclined  to  submit  to  his  daughter- 
in-law,  and  the  fractiousness  of  illness  and 
shattered  powers  made  it  harder  than  ever  for 
her  to  deal  with  him,  while  Mrs.  Barnes  had  no 
scruple  in  ordering  him,  and  scolding  him  when 
needful. 

*  Come  now,  sir,  don't  you  be  cranky  and 
obstreperous  ;  let  me  sit  you  up  and  open  your 
mouth.  On  my  word  and  honour,  if  you  bain't 
as  bad  a  handful  as  ever  was  my  little  Bill,  when 
he  had  the  "  electric  "  fever,  and  the  doctor,  he  says 
I  never  should  rear  him  if  he  didn't  obey  orders. 
So  now,  be  a  good  lad,  and  mind  me  when  I  tells 
you  what's  for  your  good.' 


HOME  CARES 


67 


Hopes  of  *  rearing '  poor  old  Mr.  Bryant  were 
misplaced  ;  but  at  any  rate  he  was  fairly  contented 
under  Mrs.  Barnes,  and  Dr.  Millar  pronounced 
her  to  do  quite  as  well  for  him  as  a  regular  nurse, 
which  was  a  great  comfort,  as  he  well  knew,  con- 
sidering the  expense  and  inconvenience ;  and  the 
invalid's  helplessness  was  likely  to  last  for  a  long 
time,  while  poor  Mrs.  Bryant  had  to  manage 
money  matters  as  best  she  could,  and  as  much  as 
old  Barnes  thought  proper  to  refer  to  her  about 
the  farm.  How  could  wages  and  food  be  pro- 
vided out  of  the  receipts  for  dairy  and  poultry, 
and  might  she  sell  the  calf,  and  go  so  far  as  to 
sell  the  rick  of  hay  without  authority,  and  only 
Barnes  to  bargain  for  her  } 

Edward  was  in  all  her  counsels  and  difficulties, 
and  kept  his  word  about  doing  his  best  in  odd 
jobs  about  the  farm-yard,  and  even  in  keeping 
back  murmurs  at  having  to  sit  in  the  kitchen  on 
a  cold  evening  to  save  the  parlour  fire,  and  at 
having  to  live  on  suppers  to  which  he  would  not 
have  liked  to  bring  in  an  acquaintance.  He  even 
proposed  to  go  without  a  glass  of  beer,  and  his 
mother  thought  it  so  good  in  him  that  she  quite 
had  tears  in  her  eyes  when  she  declared  that  he 

E  2 


68 


HOME  CARES 


was  the  best  son  in  the  world,  but  she  never  could 
consent  to  his '  skimping '  himself.  However,  when 
the  little  cask  was  finished,  and  it  came  to  buying 
a  fresh  one,  she  could  not  help  asking,  *  Would  he 
mind  very  much  doing  without  it  ? ' 

All  this  was  making  him  older  and  more 
thoughtful  ;  and  he  intended  to  get  out  of  the 
football  team  because  he  was  needed  at  the  farm- 
yard. But  when  he  found  that  he  was  not  con- 
sidered a  great  loss  he  was  disappointed,  and  felt 
discontented  with  the  task  of  shutting  the  cows 
home  and  locking  up  the  poultry ;  and  a  refractory 
cockerel  got  hard  measure  when  he  and  his  pullets 
had  to  be  chased  out  of  the  young  turnips. 
Edward  even  threw  a  stone  at  one  of  the  hens, 
and  was  relieved  that  her  hysterical  cackle  proved 
that  she  was  not  hit.  It  was  hard  that  she  should 
suffer  for  Ben  Jackson's  contempt  of  his  activity. 

And  though  it  certainly  was  dull,  and  there 
was  a  dreary  sameness  in  *Just  as  usual;  only  a 
bit  more  fretful,'  and  in  being  always  called  upon 
to  help  to  square  those  endless  accounts  of  his 
mother's,  which  really  she  could  do  quite  as  well 
as  he  could,  though  he  had  begun  book-keeping  at 
school.   Only,  alas  !  no  arithmetical  powers  would 


HOME  CARES 


69 


make  the  incomings  sufficient  for  the  outgoings  ; 
and  to  get  a  cheque  from  the  shaking  hand  of  the 
grandfather  required  the  united  powers  of  old 
Barnes,  his  wife,  Dr.  Millar,  and  Mrs.  Bryant ; 
and  when  he  cried  afterwards,  and  said  they  were 
robbing  him,  and  ruining  him,  and  the  boy  would 
be  a  beggar,  Mrs.  Bryant  declared  she  would  never 
try  again. 

But  all  this  was  changing  Edivard,  and  he  not 
only  took  more  pains  at  school  and  in  helping  his 
mother,  but  he  thought  more  gravely  of  life.  On 
one  hand  it  was  a  dreary  look-out,  for  he  knew 
that  this  was  only  tiding  over  the  time  of  the  old 
man's  decay,  and  that  there  would  be  a  great 
break-up  of  the  home  he  loved  when  the  end  came. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  came  a  sense  of  resolu- 
tion and  strength,  and  of  being  the  one  on  whom 
his  mother  must  rely. 

Frances  and  Aline  avoided  him  at  first,  with 
the  childish  shrinking  from  one  who  is  under  a 
great  misfortune  ;  but  Mabel  ran  up  and  seized 
his  hand,  holding  it  till  they  went  into  church  ; 
and  all  soon  grew  used  to  the  state  of  things. 

*  Not  quite  alive,  but  as  bad  as  dead,'  said 
Frances  ;  '  I  wonder  where  his  mind  is  ? ' 


70 


HOME  CARES 


*  Father  says  no  one  can  guess  what  passes  in 
a  person's  soul  when  he  seems  quite  gone  from  us,' 
said  Aline,  very  gravely. 

It  gave  Edward  much  to  think  about,  all  the 
more  because  notice  of  a  Confirmation  was  given 
out  to  be  held  at  Cokeham  Church  for  the  town 
and  the  neighbouring  parishes.  The  rector,  Mr. 
Fraser,  gave  it  out  in  their  own  Langbridge  Church, 
and  there  was  no  doubt  that  Frances  and  Aline 
should  go  to  be  prepared  by  him.  Nor  indeed  was 
there  any  doubt  that  Edward  should.  Indeed,  he 
was  glad  that  it  should  be  at  his  own  home,  though 
the  masters  at  Cokeham  had  classes  for  their  boys  ; 
but  some  of  the  lads  were  Dissenters,  and  others 
had  no  inclination  to  make  the  promise,  which 
they  seemed  to  think  was  the  chief  point ;  and  their 
mothers  said :  *  Well,  they  were  very  young,  and 
they  need  not  be  forced.'  Only  one  or  two  laughed 
about  it,  but  even  the  more  thoughtless  silenced 
them. 

Yet  hardly  anyone  thought  about  the  Seven- 
fold Gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  would  be  given. 
Even  Mrs.  Bryant,  though  she  wished  her  son  to 
be  confirmed,  as  part  of  his  duty  as  a  churchman, 
only  thought  of  it  as  taking  his  vows  upon  him,  and 


HOME  CARES 


71 


was  rather  surprised  when  she  had  time  to  Hsten,  or 
to  look  at  what  Edward  brought  home  from  the 
rectory  and  from  church.  They  all  went  to  classes 
there,  with  the  other  children  of  the  place. 

*  And/  said  Frances,  *  it  is  quite  disgusting  to 
hear  how  forward  that  pert  Rose  Gray  is,  putting 
herself  out  to  answer  everything/ 

'  Well,  she  answered  lots  of  things  we  could 
not,'  said  Aline. 

'  So  she  ought,  always  going  to  the  Sunday- 
school,'  said  Frances. 

*  Yes  ;  it  made  me  wish  I  had  been  taught  so 
much — she  knew  so  much  better  than  I  do,'  said 
Aline. 

'  That's  just  what  I  thought  when  I  saw  how 
that  young  monitor— what's  his  name? — took  it 
all  in,'  said  Edward.    *  He  was  up  to  it  all' 

*  So  he  ought  to  be,'  again  repeated  Frances, 
*  being  a  monitor.' 

^  I  do  wish  I  understood  as  much  as  some  of 
those  girls  do  ! '  said  Aline. 

^  Oh,  nonsense — it  is  easy  to  get  up  enough  to 
pass,'  answered  her  sister. 

*  It  is  not  passing.  It  is  for  our  lives,'  said 
Aline. 


72 


HOME  CARES 


She  fell  behind  with  Edward,  who,  as  his  mother 
had  read  the  Bible  with  him  on  Sunday  evenings, 
really  knew  more  of  Scripture  thoughts  than  either 
of  the  girls  whose  small  private  school  did  not 
attend  much  to  their  religious  knowledge,  and 
whose  mother  was  too  busy  to  do  more  than  send 
them  to  churchj  and  take  care  that  they  said 
prayers — the  same  prayers  as  Mabel  and  Bertie 
said.  It  had  not  occurred  to  her  to  give  them  any- 
thing more  appropriate  to  their  growth ;  but  the 
rector  offered  them  more  advanced  devotions.  Aline 
was  pleased  and  thankful ;  but  though  Frances 
thanked  him,  at  home  she  said  it  took  up  more 
time,  when  she  was  hurried  in  the  morning  and 
sleepy  at  night.  This  was  in  the  private  talks 
that  the  rector  had  with  each  of  his  candidates.  He 
had  one,  of  course,  with  Edward  Bryant,  but  nothing 
was  then  said  about  the  lad's  former  aspirations 
towards  missionary  work.  Not  only  did  it  appear 
evident  that  his  first  business  in  life  would  be  to 
attend  to  his  mother,  but  he  felt  an  absolute  sense 
of  shame  whenever  he  remembered  that  old  dream, 
and,  with  a  kind  of  twinge,  put  it  from  him  as  a 
past  and  foolish  thing. 

These  young  people  were  all  three  confirmed. 


HOME  CARES 


73 


What  they  thought  and  felt,  they  did  not  tell  one 
another,  except,  perhaps,  that  Edward  observed  ^  he 
was  glad  he  was  not  a  girl,  to  think  about  the  set 
of  a  veil,'  and  Aline  felt  rebuked  ;  yet  not  so  much 
so  as  when  little  Mabel  told  her  that  now  she  was 
sure  she  was  going  to  be  very  good. 

Edward  had  to  go  to  the  Altar  alone  the  next 
Sunday,  for  his  mother  could  not  have  left  the  old 
great-grandfather,  and  thought  it  irreverent  to  make 
it  common  *  by  Communion  more  than  three  or 
four  times  a  year.'  He  went — full  of  purpose — 
chiefly  to  do  his  duty  towards  her. 

The  two  girls  went  with  their  parents,  Dr. 
Millar  having  found  time.  Moreover,  Aline  was 
resolved  that  the  little  ones  should  not  be  so 
ignorant  as  she  had  found  herself  Their  mother 
had  read  a  little  book  on  Scripture  history,  and 
taught  *  First  Steps '  to  Frances  and  Johnnie,  till 
there  was  a  bad  illness  through  the  family,  and 
then  another  baby  had  been  born ;  the  elder 
children  had  been  sent  to  Miss  Vardon's  little 
school,  and  home  instruction  had  been  dropped. 

The  two  elder  girls  were  to  go  to  a  boarding- 
school  by-and-by,  and  Mabel  was  already  at  Miss 
Vardon's  ;  but  Aline,  in  the  meantime,  determined 


74 


HOME  CARES 


to  teach  her  and  Bertie  something  of  what  they 
ought  to  know. 

^  First  Steps  to  the  Catechism  '  was  nowhere  to 
be  found  about  the  house.  Mabel  had  a  pretty- 
little  nursery  book  about  Joseph  and  Moses,  and 
there  was  a  great  Family  Bible,  full  of  pictures, 
in  which  all  their  names  were  written,  but  the 
children  were  not  allowed  to  turn  this  over  for  fear 
of  damaging  it,  and  it  was  not  possible  to  her  to 
make  a  Sunday  talk  or  lesson  attractive  without 
more  means.  She  tried  to  borrow  ^  First  Steps ' 
from  Rose  Gray,  but  it  was  a  torn  and  dirty  little 
tract,  and  the  children  despised  it.  Indeed  Bertie, 
after  the  first  day,  could  not  be  captured  at  all,  and 
Frances  said  he  was  not  to  be  plagued.  His  mother, 
when  appealed  to,  said  Aline  had  right  notions,  but 
was  taking  too  much  upon  her  ;  and  Bertie  would 
learn  it  all  fast  enough  when  he  went  to  school. 

Mabel  was  a  more  thoughtful,  religious-minded 
child,  as  well  as  two  years  older,  and  she  really 
liked  her  time  of  reading  with  Aline,  and  wanted 
to  know  the  meaning  of  words  and  phrases  in  the 
Catechism,  more  than  her  sister  could  clearly 
explain.  One  day,  when  Aline  happened  to  meet 
the  rector  alone,  and  he  spoke  very  kindly  to  her, 


HOME  CARES 


75 


she  blushed  up,  and  with  much  shyness  asked  him 
to  lend  her  a  book,  like  those  the  school  children 
had,  with  which  to  teach  her  little  sister. 

He  was  pleased  with  her,  took  her  to  his  study 
and  gave  her  two  nice  fresh  books,  and  presently 
told  her  that,  in  the  absence  of  one  of  the  teachers, 
there  was  a  little  class  at  the  Sunday-school,  and 
he  should  be  very  glad  if  she  would  like  to  take  it, 
if  her  mother  approved. 

Mrs.  Millar  had  no  objection  if  Aline  liked 
such  work,  and  there  were  no  infectious  disorders 
in  the  parish,  nor  did  she  mind  Mabel's  going  with 
her  to  sit  by  and  hear.  It  would  be  one  child  off 
her  hands  and  out  of  mischief 

Teaching  because  one  knew  nothing  might 
seem  an  odd  arrangement,  but  the  rector  knew 
what  he  was  doing.  The  class  were  very  small 
children,  and  only  needed  to  be  taught  what  Aline 
knew  or  found  in  her  books.  She  and  Mabel  de- 
lighted in  the  class,  and  enjoyed  their  Sundays. 
Mabel  learnt  all  the  hymns,  and,  moreover,  thought 
about  them  ;  and  Aline  made  many  steps  in  what 
she  wanted  to  understand. 


CHAPTER  VII 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 

Is  there  who  scorns  the  little  things  ? 

As  wisely  might  he  scorn  to  eat 
The  food  which  yearly  autumn  brings 
In  little  grains  of  wheat. — Lucy  Fletcher. 

HE  Millars  had  a  picnic.  Aline's  and 
MabeFs  birthdays,  with  five  years 
between,  came  on  two  consecutive 
days  in  early  August,  and  it  was 
always  the  custom  of  the  family  to  have  some  treat 
on  one  of  them,  especially  as  the  time  came  in  the 
holidays. 

The  favourite  plan  was  to  take  their  dinner, 
and  spend  the  afternoon  at  the  ruin  where  Edward 
Bryant  and  the  other  lads  had  last  year  had  the  ad- 
venture with  the  keeper  and  the  jackdaws.  Leave 
for  picnics  there  could  be  obtained  by  asking 
permission  of  the  steward,  and  this  was  duly  done. 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


77 


It  was  a  very  joyous  party  that  set  out,  the 
lesser  ones  packed  into  a  donkey  cart  and  two 
pony  traps,  which  also  carried  the  provisions,  and 
the  elder  ones  walking,  except  the  drivers,  namely, 
Edward,  and  John  Millar.  The  young  ones 
thought  it  all  the  more  fun  that  no  one  of  the 
party  was  more  than  seventeen  ;  but  Mrs.  Millar 
was  hardly  so  well  satisfied,  to  judge  by  the 
cautions  she  gave  Johnnie  and  Frances,  and  her 
disappointment  at  finding  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sparrow,  who  had  talked  of  being  of  the  party, 
were  both  prevented,  and  only  sent  Lucy,  George, 
and  Jim. 

Talking,  calling,  shouting,  laughter,  playing 
tricks  abounded,  hot  as  the  walk  was  ;  but  every- 
body got  in  safety  to  the  ruin.  There  was  not 
very  much  of  it — there  were  the  remains  of  a  moat 
with  a  pond  at  one  end,  and  the  stump  of  a  tower 
and  an  ivy-clad  wall.  The  learned  had  something 
to  say  about  the  history  and  the  civil  wars ;  but 
there  was  nobody  who  cared  for  that.  All  that 
signified  was  to  rest  in  the  shade,  unpack  the 
eatables— and  especially  the  provisions  and  the 
gooseberries — and  spread  the  table-cloth.  The 
boys  had  laughed  at  the  notion,  but  Lucy  and 


78 


MABEL' S\  NATIVE 


Frances  were  determined  to  do  the  thing  genteelly 
and  to  have  plates  and  knives  and  forks,  though 
the  brothers  declared  that  fingers  were  made  before 
forks,  and  that  pie  tasted  much  better  from  them 
alone  ! 

Forks  or  fingers,  the  meal  was  much  enjoyed, 
and  was  as  merry  as  anything  that  could  be 
imagined,  with  screams  of  laughter  over  jokes  too 
silly  to  be  written  down,  frights  over  imagined 
snakes,  and  more  real  frights  when  the  wasps 
found  out  the  good  things.  If  the  elders  had 
been  there,  perhaps  the  noise  would  not  have 
been  quite  so  loud,  and  some  of  the  tricks  might 
not  have  been  played  ;  but  there  was  no  great 
harm  in  them,  and  Edward  Bryant,  all  care  and 
trouble  thrown  aside,  was  the  loudest  of  the  loud, 
almost  the  roughest  of  the  rough,  though  perhaps 
he  could  not  be  so  absolutely  rude  as  Jack 
Bowser. 

Mary  Black,  who  was  a  demure  girl,  by  way  ot 
being  lady-like  did  not  care  for  it,  and,  after  a  cold 
frog  from  the  moat  had  been  dropped  into  her 
lap,  while  impish  laughter  broke  out  above  her 
head,  she  rose  up  and  strolled  away  in  a  dignified 
manner ;  but,  before  long,  a  wild  scream  startled 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


79 


them  all,  a  real  shriek  of  fright,  not  like  the 
affected  screams  of  laughter. 

Up  they  all  jumped,  and  hurrying  along  met 
her,  flying  and  breathless  :  *  There's — there's  a 
dreadful — black  man,'  was  all  they  could  make 
out,  and  she  pointed  behind  her,  and  flew  into 
Lucy  Sparrow's  arms,  panting.  The  girls  huddled 
together,  the  boys  went  on,  some  thinking  it  was 
a  trick,  or  some  folly  on  her  part ;  but  they  really 
saw  something  very  dark,  in  white  garments, 
slowly,  as  if  just  awake,  rising  up  from  under  a 
big  beech  tree,  where  they  had  left  some  of  their 
baskets  in  preparation  for  their  tea. 

*  Hollo,  you  nigger  fellow,  what  are  you  doing 
there— bagging  our  cake  ? '  shouted  Jack  Bowser. 

There  was  some  answer,  as  of  one  bewildered, 
and  unintelligible,  with  a  hand  raised  to  the 
turbaned  head. 

The  lads,  Edward  Bryant  and  all,  were  in  high 
and  thoughtless  spirits,  and  when  Bowser  shouted 
*  Nigger  !  nigger  !  stealing  cake,  scaring  our  young 
ladies,'  all  joined  in  the  cry,  half  for  the  fun  of  it ; 
whereupon  the  stranger  made  more  gestures  of 
remonstrance  and  entreaty  and  turned  to  flee. 
There  was  a  redoubling  of  the  shouting — '  Thief ! 


8o 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


thief!  Nigger  !  nigger  ! '  One  picked  up  a  stone, 
and  was  about  to  launch  it.  Suddenly,  little  Mabel, 
in  her  white  frock,  her  hat  off,  her  hair  flying, 
started  out  to  the  front  of  them,  '  You  sha'n't ! 
you  sha'n't ;  bad  boys !  I  tell  you,  he's  one  of 
the  dear  heathen  natives — I  won't  have  him  hurt/ 
^  Little  puss,  get  away,  you'll  be  hurt,'  called 
Edward,  trying  to  snatch  her  back  ;  for  the 
Sparrows  and  Bowser  were  beginning  a  rush  that 
might  have  run  over  her.  But  she  started  away  and 
shook  her  frock  at  him,  *  No,  no  ;  stop  them — dear 
heathen.' 

Edward  caught  her  up  in  his  arms,  though  she 
kicked  violently  ;  but  '  the  poor  native '  was  out  of 
sight,  and  the  keeper,  in  his  formidable  presence, 
was  advancing  on  them,  with  ^  How  now,  boys ! 
what's  all  this  ?  you  to  be  pelting  my  lady's  Indian 
page  !    Be  off  with  you,  at  once,  I  say.' 

John  Millar  and  Lucy  Sparrow  came  forward 
with  :  '  We  didn't  know.  He  frightened  Miss 
Black.'  And  as  the  keeper  muttered  ^More  fool 
she,'  Lucy  added  :  *  They — we — thought  it  was  a 
tramp  come  to  steal  our  tea.' 

'  You  did,  did  you  ?  Well,  you'd  better  be  off 
with  you  before  my  lady  hears  of  it.    She  doesn't 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


8i 


half  like  letting  all  the  idle  lot  into  her  park,  and 
if  she  heard  you'd  been  at  Joe,  or  whatever  she 
calls  him,  no  one  would  never  be  let  in  no  more  ; 
so  you  had  best  pack  up  your  things  and  be  off/ 

'  Must  we  go  ? '  asked  Frances.  '  It  was  all 
Miss  Black's  fright  that  set  on  the  boys.  Our 
father  is  Dr.  Millar  at  Langbridge.  We — my  little 
sister  there — did  all  she  could  to  stop  them.' 

*  No  objection  to  you,  miss,'  said  the  keeper 
(whose  wife  had  been  attended  by  Dr.  Millar) ;  '  but 
that  there  big  lad,  ay,  and  the  rest  of  the  chaps, 
they  had  best  be  off.  They've  been  after  no  good 
here  before.' 

^  Oh,  but  please,'  entreated  Frances,  and  one  or 
two  more  of  the  girls,  ^  let  them  stay  for  tea.  We 
can't  well  go  without  them  to  drive  us.  And  I 
am  sure  they  will  behave  well.' 

*  Well — if  you  makes  yourself  responsible,  and 
I  keeps  an  eye  upon  them,'  consented  the  keeper, 
*  you  may  drink  your  tea  if  you  likes,  miss,  and  I'll 
explain  to  my  lady.' 

On  the  whole,  perhaps,  Jack  and  George  would 
have  preferred  being  turned  out,  and  taking  their 
revenge  in  *  larks,'  to  drinking  tea  so  early,  with 
Frances  Millar  responsible  for  their  behaviour  and 

F 


82 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


the  keeper  hovering  so  near  that  they  could  not  even 
have  the  diversion  of  keeping  the  young  ladies  on 
tenter-hooks  as  to  what  they  might  be  going  to  do. 
Mabel  wanted  to  give  him  a  piece  of  cake,  and 
Aline  hoped  to  make  it  acceptable  by  saying  it 
was  for  his  little  girl.  She  ventured,  moreover,  to 
ask  if  the  man  was  really  a  negro. 

'  Certainly  not — if  only  Africans  were  negroes 
proper.  My  lord  had  been  a  Governor  in  India, 
and  there  had  been  a  great  famine,  and  many 
children  left  orphans.  My  lady  had  taken  one  of 
them  to  bring  up,  and  liked  to  keep  him  in  his 
Eastern  dress,  all  white,  with  a  red  and  gold  sash. 
Oh,  yes  ;  he  could  speak  English  as  well  as  any 
of  them,  if  they  would  have  listened  ;  and  he  came 
to  church  every  Sunday.' 

'  Then  he  is  not  a  heathen  ? ' 

'  Heathen  ?  No,  indeed  !  My  lady  had  him 
baptized,  you  may  be  sure,  and  he  goes  to  church 
with  the  servants  regular,  every  Sunday  ;  yes,  and 
minds  his  book  there  better  than  any  of  you  lads, 
I'll  bet.' 

*Well,  I  thought  he  did  not  look  like  a  real 
blackamoor  nigger,'  said  Jim  Sparrow,  for  even  in 
the  glimpse  that  had  been  afforded  of  the  youth 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


83 


he  was  seen  to  be  of  a  much  slenderer  form,  with  a 
browner  skin,  and  none  of  the  well-known  negro 
features. 

'Niggers  are  all  the  same,'  growled  Jack 
Bowser. 

*  And  here's  this  little  Mab  awfully  sold  that 
she  hadn't  got  a  real  live  heathen  to  preach  to,'  said 
her  brother  John. 

*  Now,  Johnnie,'  remonstrated  Aline,  '  don't' 
But  John  did  not  heed,  and  went  on :  *  Just  as  she 

does  to  her  dolls  in  the  garden.' 

*  Here,  put  her  up  on  this  heap  of  stones  for  a 
pulpit,  and  let  us  hear  what  she  was  going  to  say 
to  him,'  said  Jack  Bowser.  ^  Speak  up,  little  one. 
Begin,  "  Dear  native !  Am  I  not  a  man  and  a 
brother?'" 

Mabel  hid  her  face  in  Aline's  lap,  and  cried. 
John  and  Jack  came  to  lift  her  out  by  force,  but 
she  kicked  ;  and  Frances,  with  the  other  girls,  de- 
clared that  she  should  not  be  teased.  There  were 
loud  voices  and  scuffling,  and  the  keeper  came 
down  on  them,  declaring  that  he  would  have 
none  of  this,  and  they  must  all  go  off  directly — he 
should  have  thought  they  would  have  known 
better  than  to  act  in  that  sort  of  way ;  and  he 

F  2 


84 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


would  not  listen  while  Frances  and  Lucy  tried  to 
explain  that  it  was  all  that  horrid  boy,  Jack 
Bowser ;  but  quelled  all  dispute  by  pointing  up 
to  a  path  where  some  of  the  gardening-men  were 
seen  going  home  from  work,  so  that  it  was  plain 
he  would  have  support  in  expelling  this  riotous 
set. 

So,  a  good  deal  crest-fallen,  and  some  of  them 
sulky,  the  young  people  were  obliged  to  collect 
and  pack  up  their  properties,  the  keeper  insisting 
that  not  a  scrap  of  paper  nor  a  gooseberry  skin 
should  be  left  to  make  the  place  untidy,  and  off 
he  sent  them  all. 

Edward  Bryant  had  become  rather  ashamed  of 
himself  for  having  been  carried  along  by  the  rude 
boyishness  of  the  others,  and  he  would  not  allow 
the  brave  little  Mabel  to  be  further  tormented,  as 
he  could  see  some  of  them  intended,  so  he  invited 
her  to  share  his  old  ramshackle  cart  with  Aline. 
It  was  not  at  all  popular,  for  it  bore  traces  of 
farm  work,  and  the  poor  old  pony  was  both  slow 
and  sullen,  and  not  to  be  trusted  not  to  back  into 
a  ditch  ;  while  the  Millars'  horse  was  only  to  be  dealt 
with  by  John,  and  not  absolutely  safe  even  with 
him. 


THE  KEEPER  SUDDENLY  APPEARS. 


MABEL'S  NATIVE 


85 


Mabel  was  very  happy,  sitting  upon  a  basket 
and  chattering  away,  not  about  the  heathen,  but 
on  all  sorts  of  childish  fancies,  not  wanting  much 
answer,  till,  finally,  just  before  they  reached  the 
village  of  Langbridge,  he  was  roused  by  her 
exclaiming  :  ^  But  you  do  mean  to  be  a  missionary, 
don't  you  ? ' 

^  Oh,  my  dear,  I  have  much  more  to  think  about 
than  that ! ' 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  BREAK-UP 

Man's  a  king,  his  throne  is  duty, 
Since  his  work  on  earth  began. — J.  Stirling. 

HE  break-up  at  Birkfarm  came  at  last. 
The  old  man  grew  more  and  more 
feeble,   and   in   the   winter   he  had 
another  stroke  from  which  he  never 
rallied. 

Of  course  there  ensued  a  time  of  confusion  and 
difficulty  such  as  every  one  knew  was  inevitable, 
and  on  which  there  is  no  need  to  dwell.  A  lawyer, 
Mr.  Twistleden,  came  to  attend  to  matters.  He  had 
been  a  friend  of  Edward's  father,  and  had  been 
appointed  trustee  for  the  boy.  It  is  enough  to  say 
that  there  were  claims  which  made  it  impossible  to 
retain  the  farm,  even  till  Edward  should  be  of  age 
to  decide  about  it ;  and,  when  everything  was 


THE  BREAK-UP 


87 


wound  up,  Mrs.  Bryant  only  possessed  the  50/. 
per  annum  that  had  been  settled  upon  her  by  her 
uncle,  and  a  few  investments  of  her  husband's, 
which  brought  in  about  30/.  a  year  more,  while 
Edward,  as  heir-at-law,  obtained,  when  the  mort- 
gages were  settled,  the  stock  sold,  and  the  debts 
paid,  nearly  2,000/. 

This  would  not  be  at  his  own  disposal  till  he 
was  of  age,  and,  in  the  meantime,  the  interest  would 
go  to  assist  the  little  income  that  they  would  have 
to  depend  upon.  To  Mrs.  Bryant  the  change 
would  be  a  relief.  She  had  not  been  brought  up 
to  a  farm  or  to  country  habits,  and  it  would  all 
have  been  against  the  grain  to  her  even  under 
happier  circumstances  ;  and  the  grandfather  had 
not,  even  in  his  better  days,  made  the  home  of  her 
widowhood  cheerful  or  pleasant  to  her,  or  helped 
her  inexperience.  She  had  been  his  housekeeper, 
so  to  speak,  by  compulsion  and  necessity,  and 
knew  that  she  had  never  been  a  good  one,  though 
she  had  done  her  best,  and  he  had  never  been 
substantially  unkind  ;  but  her  lot  had  not  been  a 
happy  one,  and  though  she  would  be  poor  and 
pinched  she  felt  a  sense  of  freedom,  as  if — she  said 
to  her  son — she  was  beginning  life  again. 


88 


THE  BREAK-UP 


It  was  more  sad  to  Edward.  There  certainly 
had  been  a  kind  of  relief  in  having  the  world  open 
to  a  sense  of  enterprise,  and  in  not  being  bound 
down  to  an  unprosperous  piece  of  land  ;  but  then 
he  could  not  fail  to  be  attached  to  it,  or  to  dislike  to 
think  of  his  favourite  old  haunts  belonging  to 
strangers.  Nor  was  he  insensible  to  the  honour 
and  glory  of  being  the  heir  to  a  ^  landed  property  ' 
come  down  to  him  from  his  forefathers.  He  had 
enjoyed  a  certain  respect  in  consequence,  dilapi- 
dated as  his  inheritance  was,  and  after  his  out-of- 
door  life,  with  horses,  such  as  they  were,  to  drive  ; 
a  fowling-piece,  now  his  own,  and  rabbits  to  shoot, 
it  was  distasteful  to  sink  down  into  life  in  a  town 
upon  a  high  stool,  as  his  mother  planned  for  him. 
Nor  could  he  see  any  better  opening,  and  he  had 
promised  to  do  his  best  for  her,  so  he  set  his 
determination  manfully  to  work,  and  spared  his 
mother  most  of  the  objections  and  grumbles  which 
he  poured  out  to  poor  Aline.  The  two  Millar 
girls  were  going  to  a  boarding-school,  so  he  would 
lose  his  chief  companions,  even  if  he  stayed  at 
home,  and  that  was  one  consolation. 

He  was  sixteen  now,  and  failed  to  win  the 
scholarship.    His  fit  of  idleness  had  thrown  him 


THE  BREAK-UP 


89 


back,  and  the  quantity  of  needful  occupation  that 
had  come  upon  him  had  prevented  him  from 
working  up.  Perhaps  his  mother  was  only  sorry 
for  his  failure  and  disappointment — she  did  not  like 
her  boy  to  be  beaten  ;  but  his  success  would  have 
meant  privation  and  perplexity  to  her  ;  and  if  it 
prevented  him  from  becoming  a  clergyman  and  a 
gentleman,  it  certainly  disposed  of  all  chance  of 
that  horror  of  hers,  his  recurring  to  the  missionary 
scheme. 

Her  original  home  had  been  at  Awmouth, 
a  small  seaport,  where  her  father  had  traded  in 
corn,  and  though  her  nearest  relations  had  passed 
away,  there  were  still  some  connections  with 
whom  there  was  an  occasional  exchange  of 
letters,  whenever  there  was  an  event  in  either 
family. 

On  her  inquiry  whether  any  employment  could 
be  found  for  her  son,  she  was  answered  that,  if  he 
were  a  fair  French  scholar,  there  was  a  vacancy  in 
a  merchant's  office  for  which  he  might  apply,  with 
a  chance  of  success,  and  his  mother's  friend  knew  a 
lady  whose  health  obliged  her  to  give  up  a  small 
boarding-house  which  she  would  transfer  to  Mrs. 
Bryant,  with  the  arrangement  that  a  certain  amount 


90 


THE  BREAK-UP 


should  be  paid  over  to  her  regularly  for  the  rent 
and  furniture. 

Fortunately  for  Edward,  there  was  a  good 
French  master  at  Cokeham  Grammar  School,  able 
to  hold  his  own  with  the  boys,  and  thus  Edward 
was  equal  to  writing  a  respectable  French  letter  in 
which  to  make  his  application.  He  had  a  turn  for 
anguages,  and  had  even  helped  Aline  by  the 
knowledge  of  Latin  that  had  once  given  hopes  of 
the  scholarship.  At  any  rate,  the  letter  gained 
him  the  appointment,  with  the  understanding  that 
he  was  to  improve  himself  in  French  and  German, 
and,  if  he  did  so,  and  gave  satisfaction,  might  look 
forward  to  an  advance. 

It  was  not  a  very  promising  prospect  at  the 
best ;  but  it  was  a  great  relief  to  Mrs.  Bryant  to 
have  something  definite  to  look  forward  to,  and 
Edward  was  glad  it  was  a  sea-side  place,  for  he 
had  listened  to  her  stories  of  the  sailing  and 
boating  adventures  of  her  brothers.  She  was  chary 
of  them  now,  because,  as  she  told  Mrs.  Millar,  that 
was  what  she  dreaded  in  the  matter,  for  her  brothers 
had  all  had  a  fit  of  wanting  to  be  sailors.  One  of 
them  had  been  drowned,  one  of  them  was  a 
merchant  captain  in  the  American  service,  and 


THE  BREAK-UP 


91 


one  had  settled  in  Canada,  had  made  a  visit  home, 
and  had  since  died. 

'  My  Eddy  is  an  adventurous  spirit,'  she  said, 
*and  is  sure  to  be  after  the  same,  now  he  has 
dropped  all  that  missionary  talk/ 

*  Oh,  never  trouble  yourself  about  that,'  said 
Mrs.  Millar,  *  it  is  the  way  of  all  boys  to  talk  and 
plan  ;  but  they  settle  down  safe  enough  as  they  get 
older  and  see  more  of  life.  He  would  be  just  the 
same  anywhere  else  ;  and  seeing  the  life  close  may 
work  it  off' 

'  My  Eddy  has  a  high  spirit,'  sighed  Mrs. 
Bryant ;  but  more  as  if  she  were  proud  than  regret- 
ful of  it. 

Whether  it  were  his  high  spirit  or  not, 
Edward  made  up  his  mind  beforehand  that  the 
boarders  would  be  hateful,  despicable  people, 
who  would  leave  him  no  comfort  at  his  meals 
or  in  his  evenings.  One  of  them,  Mr.  Cobbold, 
turned  out  to  be  the  senior  clerk  in  his  own  firm, 
and  the  other,  Miss  Grant,  who  lived  on  the  higher 
floor,  a  daily  governess,  not  very  young  nor 
very  pretty  ;  but,  if  Mrs.  Bryant  was  satisfied  with 
both,  her  impertinent  young  son  decided  within 
himself  that  they  were  an  old  fogey  and  an  old 


92 


THE  BREAK-UP 


frump  ;  though,  happily,  he  had  no  one  to  whom 
to  say  so. 

The  furniture — well,  it  was  handsomer,  in  Mrs. 
Bryant's  view,  than  the  old  oak  which  had  been 
bought  up  at  such  good  prices  from  Birkfarm  ;  but, 
to  Edward,  it  seemed  half  shabby,  half  grimy,  and 
he  could  not  feel  at  home  till  he  had  hung  up  his 
great-grandfather's  gun  over  the  kitchen  fire,  where 
his  mother  did  not  like  it  at  all,  till  Mr.  Cobbold 
declared  it  was  a  curiosity,  and  very  valuable. 

Mr.  Cobbold  was  a  formal  man,  whom  Edward 
viewed  as  nearly  as  old  as  his  grandfather ;  but 
Mrs.  Bryant  said  he  was  highly  respectable,  silent 
and  very  critical  at  meals,  and  never  speaking  but 
about  food  and  the  money  market.  Probably  he 
was  as  sorry  that  Mrs.  Bryant  should  import  a 
young  man,  as  the  young  man  could  be  that  his 
mother  should  succeed  to  such  a  solemn  old  lodger, 
and  one  in  authority,  too,  in  his  firm  !  But  the 
governess.  Miss  Grant,  was  a  lively  person,  though 
wizen  and  worn  looking,  and  she  had  a  great  deal 
to  say. 

Edward  was  at  first  inclined  to  be  affronted 
when  he  found  that  she  had  offered  to  help  him 
with  his  French  and  German  in  the  evenings,  and 


THE  BREAK-UP 


93 


he  gave  a  gruff  kind  of  consent ;  but  after  the  first 
when  he  had  forgiven  her  endeavour  to  correct 
his  pronunciation,  and  she  had  recognised  that 
she  must  not  tease  him  too  much  about  sound, 
but  stick  to  sense,  they  got  on  pretty  well,  and 
she  found  it  refreshing  to  deal  with  an  older  mind, 
able  to  learn,  after  the  little  ones  to  whom  she 
was  used. 

She  had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  the  various 
churches  of  the  town,  and,  except  for  her  help 
with  the  French,  Edward  hardly  knew  which  he 
disliked  most — Mr.  Cobbold's  silence,  or  her  in- 
cessant talk  about  the  music  and  the  chants  and  the 
sermons,  and  the  clergy  and  whom  they  were 
supposed  to  be  courting. 

His  mother  had  got  quite  out  of  the  habit  of 
church-going  ;  but  the  good  lady  took  her  in  the 
evening,  and  Edward  tried  all  round  in  the  morn- 
ings, and  chiefly  haunted  St.  Faith's,  because  he 
liked  the  music  and  had  heard  a  sermon  there  that 
had  touched  him  ;  but  he  often  bicycled  to  village 
churches. 

But  his  life,  on  the  whole,  depended  mostly 
upon  the  youths  his  contemporaries,  and  happily 
they  were  not  an  undesirable  set.    They  were  not 


94 


THE  BREAK-UP 


given  to  betting — in  fact,  their  club  had  regulations 
against  it,  even  at  the  regatta ;  and  that  first 
summer,  rowing,  being  perfectly  new  to  Edward, 
was  a  passion  and  a  fever  with  him.  His  mother, 
of  course,  was  afraid  he  would  be  run  down  by  a 
steamer,  or  some  other  boat ;  but  Mr.  Cobbold 
actually  growled  out  an  assurance  that  the  boys 
were  steady  fellows — decent  chaps  enough,  as  lads 
went — and  if  she  hindered  him,  he  might  do 
worse.  So  he  soon  qualified  himself  to  be  a 
member  of  the  ^  Triton  Club,'  and  spent  most  of 
his  spare  time  and  thoughts  upon  it  in  the  summer, 
forming,  too,  a  warm  friendship  with  a  lad  named 
Andrews,  who  suited  him  better  than  any  of  his 
Cokeham  school-fellows,  and,  moreover,  introduced 
him  to  a  Shakespeare  Club  in  the  autumn,  which 
became  so  delightful  to  him  that  he  had  little 
reason  to  regret  Birkfarm. 

Indeed,  as  Mrs.  Bryant  had  not  had  time  or 
opportunity  to  make  friends  there,  she  had  no 
correspondent,  and  Edward  had  not  so  cared  for 
any  of  his  schoolmates  that  either  side  should 
write  to  the  other.  Only,  at  Christmas,  he  chose 
three  cards  for  the  Millar  girls,  and  received  some 
in  return  the  first  year,  but  no  more  afterwards  ; 


THE  BREAK-UP 


95 


and  everything  at  Langbridge  seemed,  as  it  were, 
to  have  drifted  out  of  his  life. 

Indeed,  he  only  knew  from  chance  mention  in 
a  business  letter  that  there  had  been  a  severe 
epidemic  at  Langbridge,  and  that  the  two  youngest 
of  the  Millar  children  had  died  of  it ;  and,  later, 
there  was  a  report  that  the  doctor  himself  was 
dead,  but  this  was  not  at  once  confirmed  ;  and,  after 
sighing  over  it,  and  wondering  what  would  become 
of  Mrs.  Millar  and  the  girls,  it  passed  from  both 
Edward  and  his  mother  in  the  interests  of  the 
present. 


CHAPTER  IX 


OLD  FRIENDS 

We  sat  and  talked  until  the  night. 

Discussion  filled  the  little  room  ; 
Our  faces  faded  from  the  sight, 

Our  voices  only  broke  the  gloom. 
We  spoke  of  many  a  vanished  scene  : 

Of  what  we  once  had  thought  and  said  ; 
Of  what  had  been  and  might  have  been, 
And  who  was  changed,  and  who  was  dead. 

Longfellow. 

ELL,  to  be  sure ! '  It  was  on  the 
parade  at  Awmouth,  and  two  young 
men,  in  boating  costumes,  were 
walking  up  from  the  pier  with 
'  Triton  '  round  their  blue  caps,  and  three  girls  in 
mourning,  one  tall  and  dressed  as  a  full-grown 
young  lady,  one  with  shorter  petticoats,  and  hair 
still  down  her  back,  and  the  other  quite  a  child 
still,  were  meeting  them. 

'  Eddy  !  Eddy  ! '  began  to  exclaim  the  little  one. 


OLD  FRIENDS 


97 


*  Don't,  Mab,  hush  ; '  and  the  elder  one  seized 
her  arm,  but  not  before  one  young  man  had  started 
forward  with  : 

*  It  is  you,  Aline — Mabel — Frances — all  of 
you,'  shaking  hands  vehemently.  ^  My  old  friends, 
the  Miss  Millars— Mr.  Andrews.' 

Mr.  Andrews  politely  raised  his  cap  and 
turned  away,  while  Edward  eagerly  asked,  ^  And 
your  mother?  and  the  doctor? — No' — (and  the 
black  dresses  now  struck  him) — ^  we  have  heard 
nothing  for  three  years.' 

*  Then,'  said  Frances,  *  you  did  not  know  that 
poor  papa  was  dreadfully  hurt  by  a  fall  from  the 
dog-cart  when  a  bicycle  frightened  old  Turk  ? 
He  lived  only  a  week  after.' 

'  When  was  it  ? '  asked  Edward,  in  a  choked 
voice. 

*  Last  September — it  was  the  24th  that  he 
died,'  said  Frances.  '  He  had  been  able  to  talk  it 
over  with  old  Dr.  Richards,  and — and — his  son — 

Lawrence — takes  the  house  and  the  practice  ' 

She  faltered  and  blushed  a  little,  and  Aline  put  in  : 
*  Yes ;  and  he  is  coming  for  Frances  as  soon  as  we 
are  settled  in  here,  and  the  year  is  over.' 

*  And   are  you  come   to  live   here  ? '  asked 

G 


98 


OLD  FRIENDS 


Edward,  who  had  put  in  exclamations  which  were 
as  good  as  answers  to  what  he  had  been  told  ;  and 
indeed  his  whole  demeanour  showed  how  much 
shocked  he  was  to  hear  of  the  death  of  the  kind 
doctor,  who  had  been  his  mother's  best  helper  in 
her  troubles.  He  said  something  of  her  being  very- 
sorry,  and  asked  whether  the  Millars  were  living  in 
the  town  or  only  on  a  visit. 

'  Yes,'  said  Aline.  '  Lawrence  Richards's  sister 
was  one  of  the  teachers  at  the  High  School,  and 
she  advised  us  to  come  here,  for  me  to  be  prepared 
for  a  governess,  and  Mabel  to  go  to  school — and 
Bertie  to  the  Modern  School' 

*  And  where  are  you  living  ?  My  mother  will 
be  so  delighted.' 

'No.  II,  Undercliff  Road,'  was  the  direc- 
tion given  him  by  little  Mabel,  and  they 
walked  on  together  till  they  were  near  the  place 
where  the  band  played,  and  Frances  rather 
hurriedly  said  :  '  Now  we  must  wish  you  good-bye. 
Come,  Mab.' 

For  Mabel  had  hold  of  his  hand,  as  in  old 
times  ;  but  there  was  something  in  Frances's  air 
that  made  Edward  recollect  that  they  were  not  all 
village  playfellows  now,  and  that  High  School 


OLD  FRIENDS 


99 


acquaintances  might  not  expect  to  see  their  young 
ladies  accompanied  by  a  ^  Triton '  ;  so  he  made  a 
rather  stiff  bow,  and  turned  away,  letting  go  the 
clasp  of  Mabel's  hand,  and  not  looking  round 
though  he  heard  her  sisters  calling  after  her. 

He  carried  home  his  news  to  his  mother,  who, 
on  her  side,  was  much  shocked  and  grieved  to 
hear  of  good  Dr.  Millar's  death,  but  a  little  doubtful 
about  going  to  call  upon  Mrs.  Millar.  '  You  see, 
my  dear,'  she  said,  '  what  with  our  family  property 
that  was,  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  we  were  pretty  well 
on  a  level  with  the  Union  doctor ;  but  now,  if 
she  gives  herself  airs  as  a  physician's  widow,  I 
can  hardly  tell  how  it  may  be ;  and  I  would  not 
have  you  in  the  way  of  being  trodden  on,  on  no 
account' 

Edward  had  not  much  fear  of  being  trodden 
on,  and  he  was  very  anxious  to  see  more  of  his  old 
friends  ;  so  he  gave  his  mother  no  peace  till  she 
had  decided  to  call,  but  timing  it  so  as  not  to  be 
taken  for  a  regular  visitor  unless  Mrs.  Millar 
seemed  to  wish  it.  That  would  have  been  pre- 
suming. Nor  would  she  go  at  an  hour  when  her 
son  was  free,  nor  indeed  would  she  tell  him  when 
she  was  going,  so  that  it  was  quite  a  surprise  to 


lOO 


OLD  FRIENDS 


him  when  he  came  home  to  meet  her  coming  in, 
wearing  her  best  bonnet  with  the  roses  in  it. 

At  Birkfarm  she  had  always  worn  only  black, 
but,  of  late,  her  flowers  had  been  allowed  green 
leaves,  and  the  roses  had  begun  to  blush  into 
colour.  Indeed,  so  had  her  cheeks,  for  though  she 
had  still  much  to  do  in  the  house,  it  was  not  nearly 
such  a  hard  life  as  she  had  lived  under  the  great- 
grandfather. 

She  was  in  excellent  spirits  now.  Mrs.  Millar 
— poor  dear — had  been  so  pleased  to  see  an  old 
friend's  face,  and  had  shed  many  tears  over  the 
remembrance  of  the  old  times  at  Langbridge, 
which  had  been  to  her  the  bright  days  of  her  life, 
though  to  Mrs.  Bryant  the  recollection  was  very 
different.  Her  girls  had  told  her  of  their  meeting 
with  Eddy — Mr.  Bryant  she  must  call  him  now — 
and  she  should  have  been  quite  hurt  if  Mrs.  Bryant 
had  not  called.  She  must  stay  to  tea,  and  to  see 
the  girls,  and  meantime  there  had  been  a  long 
confidential  chat  over  the  troubles,  past,  present, 
and  future. 

All  the  sad  history  of  the  doctor's  accident  and 
death  was  gone  through,  with  tears  on  each  side, 
and  then  all  the  difficulties,  which  were  mitigated  by 


OLD  FRIENDS 


lOI 


Lawrence  Richards's  proposal  to  Frances,  and  his 
appointment  as  Union  doctor.  John  Millar  hated 
the  profession,  and  had  insisted  upon  emigrating 
to  New  Zealand  with  Jack  Bowser  ;  and  Alice 
Richards  had  achieved  the  removal  to  Awmouth 
for  cheap  education  for  the  younger  ones.  But  it 
was  quite  evident  that  poor  Mrs.  Millar  did  not 
find  herself  so  well  off  as  to  hold  herself  above  the 
Bryants.  She  had  only  enough  left  to  her  to 
make  both  ends  meet  till  her  children  could  main- 
tain themselves,  and  she  did  not  seem  to  have 
many  friends.  Alice  Richards  had  just  obtained  a 
situation  as  a  governess  at  a  distance,  and  had  only 
been  able  to  make  her  known  to  a  few  persons, 
who  did  not  seem  disposed  to  cultivate  her,  though 
her  girls  had  made  friends  at  the  High  School,  and 
she  readily  accepted  Mrs.  Bryant's  invitation  to 
tea  and  supper  one  day  in  the  next  week. 

'  Did  you  see  the  girls  ? '  asked  Edward. 

'  Frances  came  in  after  the  first  half-hour,  and 
a  fine-looking  young  woman  she  is  grown.  She 
has  done  well  for  herself ;  but  she  will  wait  to  be 
married  till  autumn,  partly  for  the  mourning, 
and  because  there  is  work  to  be  done  at  the  house, 
which,  as  her  mother  says,  was  good  enough  for 


I02 


OLD  FRIENDS 


her.  Well,  Frances  came  in  telling  about  a 
working  party  that  she  has  been  asked  to  join  at 
the  Vicarage  for  some  missionary  work  in  Lent. 
Mrs.  Millar  thought  they  had  quite  enough  to  do 
without ;  but,  by-and-by,  in  rushes  Mabel,  quite 
mad  upon  it,  and  Aline  after  her  nearly  as  bad. 
One  of  their  teachers  at  the  High  School  had  been 
talking  to  them  about  it.' 

'  Ah !  Mabel's  little  head  used  to  run  upon 
missions,'  said  Edward,  smiling,  'when  she 
preached  to  her  dolls.' 

'Well,  their  district — St.  Faith's  is  it  ? — seems  to 
be  gone  crazy  about  missions,  by  what  Mrs.  Millar 
said.' 

'  Yes,'  said  Edward,  *  I  saw  a  notice  about  a 
course  of  sermons  on  missions  for  Wednesday 
evenings.' 

He  did  not  say  more,  for  he  knew  of  old  that 
it  was  a  sore  subject  with  his  mother,  and  in  these 
two  years  in  which  he  had  been  growing  into  man- 
hood, he  had  ceased  to  discuss  with  her  every- 
thing that  crossed  his  mind.  She  used  to 
have  no  confidential  friend,  but  now  he  found 
that  a  good  deal  was  talked  over  with  Miss 
Grant,   and   that   sometimes  Mr.  Cobbold  had 


OLD  FRIENDS 


been  asked  to  give  him  advice,  in  a  way  which 
he  resented. 

If  he  wanted  a  consultation  he  had  rather  talk 
to  Jim  Andrews,  who  saw  the  world  from  the  same 
level  of  youth  as  he  did,  than  from  the  old  gentle- 
man who — as  he  told  Andrews — thought  every  one 
younger  than  himself  must  be  fools. 

He  did  wish  his  mother  would  not  go  on  about 
his  affairs  with  that  old  fellow ;  and  what  was  the 
use  of  having  him  and  Miss  Grant  to  spoil  their 
evening  with  the  Millars }  who,  he  was  sure,  had 
much  rather  be  without  them.  What?  It  was  well 
to  show  they  had  professional  friends  of  their  own. 
Say  she  couldn't  well  help  it  ?  Why,  Miss  Grant 
would  clack  them  all  dead,  and  old  Cobbold  would 
sit  up,  and  say  '  Grumph,'  just  like  the  statue  of 
Dr.  Johnson  in  the  Library. 

^  Don't  be  disrespectful,  my  dear,'  said  Mrs. 
Bryant,  turning  aside  ;  and  when  she  said  *  my 
dear,'  Edward  always  was  alarmed,  lest  there  was 
something  in  the  wind.  Perhaps  he  would  not 
have  remarked  it  of  his  own  accord  ;  but,  on  the 
evening  of  the  entertainment,  he  saw  that  the  eyes 
of  Aline  and  Frances  were  directed  to  her  fragment 
of  a  cap,  a  bit  of  lace  that  supported  a  cluster  of 


I04 


OLD  FRIENDS 


little  feathery  adornments  with  pink  tips,  contrast- 
ing the  same  with  Mrs.  Millar's  weeds. 

Mrs.  Bryant's  tea  did  justice  to  her  freer  ex- 
penditure and  greater  opportunities,  and  Mr. 
Cobbold  certainly  resembled  Dr.  Johnson  in  the 
number  of  cups  of  tea  that  he  swallowed,  while 
Miss  Grant  kept  up  the  conversation  with  an  end- 
less quantity  of  information  about  the  inhabitants 
of  Awmouth,  and  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  popular 
concerts,  lectures,  and  the  performers  thereat. 

The  young  people,  being  all  young,  and  having 
the  grace  of  shyness  (or  modesty)  about  them,  sat 
nearly  silent,  except  Frances,  who,  as  an  engaged 
lady,  took  part  in  the  conversation,  and  covered 
the  silence  of  her  mother,  who  was  too  much  de- 
pressed, as  well  as  too  much  of  a  stranger,  to  take 
interest  in  the  details. 

But  Miss  Grant  was  a  good-natured,  helpful 
soul,  and  when  it  was  proposed  that  the  elders 
should  sit  down  to  a  game  of  cards,  she  proposed 
that  Mr.  Bryant  should  show  the  young  ladies 
the  canary  bird  and  the  plants  in  her  sitting-room 
The  fire  would  not  be  out,  and  they  would  be  able 
to  be  very  cosy  there. 

It  truly  was  doing  as  she  would  be  done  by  ! 


OLD  FRIENDS 


105 


The  girls  skipped  up  the  stairs  in  great  glee, 
Edward  steering  them  from  below,  and  the  little 
room  looked  bright  with  firelight,  and  had  the  one 
wicker  easy-chair,  and  two  or  three  others,  and 
foot-stools  ranged  comfortably  in  front. 

'  Jolly  old  girV  said  Edward,  stirring  the  fire 
into  a  blaze  ;  *  she  must  have  meant  it  for  us/ 

'Jolly  indeed— three  cheers  for  her!'  cried 
Aline.  '  And  now,  Ted,  tell  us  all  about  yourself 
What's  your  "  Triton  Club  "  ? ' 

'  Ay,  and  what's  Francie  been  about  to  go  and 
get  herself  engaged — engaged  all  seriously  ? 
Didn't  she  know  she  would  break  my  heart } 
There,  you  hear  it  go  crack  ! ' 

The  nonsense  was  varied  by  a  struggle  who 
should  not  be  installed  in  the  wicker-chair.  Aline 
and  Mabel  would  have  perched  on  the  two  arms,  but 
Frances  objected  that  they  would  certainly  break 
it  down,  and  it  ended  in  their  sitting  on  the  floor, 
and  peeping  through  the  arms  of  the  vacant  throne, 
while  Edward's  head  made  a  pillow  of  it  as  he  lay 
at  his  length  on  the  rug. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk — sometimes 
serious,  sometimes  chattery — over  the  past  and  the 
future.    Were  they  going  to  this  working  party  ? 


io6 


OLD  FRIENDS 


'  Oh,  yes/  said  Mabel,  *  there's  nothing  I  shall 
like  so  much  as  making  things  for  the  dear 
natives/ 

*  Natives  of  what  ? '  asked  Frances,  laughing  ; 
*  you  had  better  know  first.  Yes,  I  suppose  Aline 
will  go  with  you  as  you  are  so  bent  upon  it ;  but  I 
have  far  too  much  needlework  in  hand/ 

*  For  the  native  of  Langbridge  ?  '  said  Edward, 
making  her  blush,  as  of  course  it  meant  her 
trousseau.  ^  I  suppose  I  am  not  required  at  the 
working  party.  But  do  you  go  to  these  lectures, 
Aline?' 

*  They  say  they  are  to  be  most  interesting,'  she 
answered. 

*  I  think  I  shall  go,'  said  Edward.  '  Do  you 
know,  at  the  Free  Library  I  found  some  of  those 
books  that  Mr.  Goodrich  was  to  have  lent  me 
when  my  grandfather  choked  me  off.' 

'  The  book  with  the  story  of  the  queen  that 
poked  a  stick  into  the  volcano  ?  '  exclaimed  Mabel. 
'  Oh,  I  do  want  to  read  that  again  ! ' 

'  Kapiolani,'  said  Edward,  *  in  the  Sandwich 
Isles — oh,  I  will  find  the  name  of  the  book  in  the 
catalogue  for  you.  These  things  make  one 
think  ! ' 


OLD  FRIENDS 


'  As  you  used  to  do  long  ago  ? '  said  Aline. 

*Well — yes.  There  seems  to  be  so  much  to  be 
done,  and  so  few  to  do  it  ;  and  yet  it  is  the  work 
most  worth  doing  in  all  the  world/  said  Edward, 
thinking  aloud. 

'  Tm  sure  I  can't  see  that,'  said  Frances.  '  I 
should  have  thought  that  minding  one's  duty  and 
taking  care  of  one's  family  was  what  we  had  to  do, 
instead  of  flying  about  to  strange  countries  and 
natives  as  Mab  calls  them.  I  hope  you  are  not 
going  to  take  up  that  craze  again,  Eddy.' 

Edward  looked  into  the  fire,  and  made  no 
particular  answer. 


CHAPTER  X 


DEDICATION 

Guard  thou  thy  words,  the  thoughts  control 

That  o'er  thee  swell  and  throng, 
They  will  condense  within  thy  soul 
And  turn  to  purpose  strong. 

HE  lectures  on  foreign  missions  did 
prove  very  interesting.  They  were  on 
a  regular  system,  and  began  with  a 
sketch  of  how  the  duty  of  '  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature '  was  keenly  felt  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Church,  and  how,  in  the 
slacker  Middle  Ages,  it  never  was  entirely  extinct, 
and,  at  last,  after  the  discovery  of  America,  and  in 
the  general  stir  and  quickening  of  religious  life,  it 
revived  again — but  only  in  our  own  country  with 
anything  like  energy.  He  told  how  Captain  Cook's 
voyages  began  unintentionally  the  rousing  work,  by 
showing  a  few  choice  spirits  the  great  untrodden 


DEDICATION 


109 


fields — William  Carey,  about  1789,  a  poor  and 
struggling  man,  first  stirred  the  waters.  An  elderly 
minister  who  heard  him  speak  declared  his  own 
feeling  to  have  been  :  *  If  the  Lord  would  make 
windows  in  Heaven,  might  this  be  ? ' 

And  when,  somewhat  later,  the  subject  of 
missionary  societies  was  brought  forward  in 
Scotland,  an  eminent  lawyer  declared  that  it  was 
to  be  apprehended  that  their  funds  might  be  used 
against  the  British  Constitution  ;  but  how  these 
faint  germs  were  watered  by  grace,  and  gradually 
multiplied  and  increased,  the  first  convert  in  India 
being  baptized  in  1800!  Great  examples,  such  as 
Henry  Martyn,  Schwartz,  Judson,  Marshman, 
Williams,  and  Selwyn  were  touched  on  in  this  first 
lecture,  and  the  plan  was  explained  ;  dwelling  in 
some  detail  on  the  principal  central  missions  in 
turn,  one  in  each  lecture,  so  that  the  hearers 
might  have  a  better  understanding  of  what  had 
been  done,  what  was  being  done,  and  what  re- 
mained to  be  done. 

The  speaker  had  the  gift  of  marshalling  his 
facts  so  that  they  had  the  charm  of  a  romance, 
and  each  meeting  was  better  attended  than  the  pre- 
ceding, even  by  those  who  only  cared  to  pass  away 


no 


DEDICATION 


a  Lenten  evening  in  a  not  inappropriate  manner  ; 
but,  to  Edward  Bryant  and  the  two  younger 
Millars,  these  lectures  were  the  great  event  of  the 
week.  The  readings  at  the  working  party  kept 
up  the  interest  with  the  girls,  so  that  Mabel 
thought  of  little  else,  and  Edward's  enthusiasm, 
which  had  been  dormant  for  a  time,  was 
thoroughly  awakened.  For  a  time  the  sea  had 
drawn  him,  as  it  w^ere,  and  gratified  his  yearnings 
for  novelty  and  adventure  ;  but  the  ruder  side  of  a 
sailor's  life,  as  he  saw  it,  repelled  him  at  his  age, 
and  the  more  moderate  boating  society  amuse- 
ments of  the  '  Tritons  '  failed  to  satisfy  him  after  he 
had  acquired  some  dexterity.  There  was  no  great 
probability  of  rise  or  promotion  to  occupy  his 
mind  in  the  office,  and  all  he  read,  in  his  favourite 
literature,  voyages  and  travels,  tended,  whether 
such  were  the  view  of  the  writers  or  not,  to  im- 
press on  him  the  need  of  devotion  to  the  cause, 
and  the  longing  to  give  himself  to  it  as  a  true 
servant  and  follower  of  his  Master. 

The  duty  to  his  mother,  as  her  only  son,  at 
first  seemed  to  silence  the  conviction,  though  it 
could  not  silence  the  longings,  partly  of  enterprise 
and  weary  impatience  of  his  present  life  and  out- 


DEDICATION 


Til 


look,  partly  of  the  higher  spirit  of  devotion.  And 
indeed  there  began  to  be  symptoms  which  made  it 
doubtful  whether  he  were  as  necessary  to  his 
mother  as  before,  symptoms  which  an  amused 
look  of  Frances  Millar  made  perceptible  to  him. 
There  were  those  roses  in  her  bonnet,  there  was 
the  cocoa  for  breakfast  because  Mr.  Cobbold  liked 
it,  and,  what  was  worse,  she  had  objected  to  his 
coming  whistling  into  the  house  because  it  dis- 
turbed Mr.  Cobbold's  evening  nap  ;  and  a  latch-key 
was  refused  him,  no  doubt,  on  Mr.  Cobbold's  insti- 
gation, and  she  did  not  like  him  to  bring  Andrews 
in  with  him  even  to  smoke  in  the  kitchen,  because 
Mr.  Cobbold  disapproved  of  a  lot  of  rowdy  young 
men  about  the  place.  It  hurt  Edward,  for 
Andrews  was  very  far  from  being  a  rowdy  young 
man,  and  Mrs.  Bryant  had  seemed  to  like  him. 
When  this  was  put  forward,  she  answered  : 

'  Oh,  I  don't  know  any  harm  of  Mr.  Andrews  ; 
only  I  can't  have  a  lot  of  young  fellows  always 
straking  in  and  out.    It's  not  due  to  the  boarders.' 

*  I  don't  see  why  the  boarders  should  be 
masters  of  the  house,'  said  Edward.  '  Mother, 
you  used  to  be  nicer  to  me  at  home  at  Lang- 
bridge.' 


112 


DEDICATION 


*  Fm  sure,  Eddy  '  She  turned  her  face  away 

and  began  to  cry.  *  Fm  willing  to  do  anything  for 
you  with  all  my  heart,  and  so  is  Mr.  ' 

Edward  would  not  wait  to  hear  Mr,  who,  but 
tramped  out  of  the  house  and  lighted  his  pipe  in 
the  street,  while  his  mother  murmured  to  herself : 
*  There,  the  boy  is  in  one  of  his  tantrums,  when 
he  ought  to  give  way  to  the  boarders — and  such  a 
boarder  as  Mr.  Cobbold.  Well, — if — if  it  is,  Fm 
sure  it  is  all  for  his  good.  My  only  boy  ! '  And 
she  cried  again,  while  Edward  wandered  out 
towards  the  sea,  with  his  hands  in  his  great-coat 
pockets,  and  bethought  himself,  first,  that  home  and 
mother  were  changed  to  him  ;  and  then,  as  the  low 
swish  and  murmur  of  the  waves  first  soothed,  then 
seemed  to  call,  him,  that  there  were  worlds  beyond, 
where  he  might  be  doing  work  that  would  satisfy 
his  conscience,  and  have  a  real  home  and  blessing 
on  it,  such  as  he  could  not  see  in  adding  up  end- 
less figures — unless  he  was  doing  so  to  support 
his  mother  as  his  duty.  And  suppose  his  mother 
did  not  need  him  ?  '  Yes,  oh  Christ !  I  will  be 
Thine,  and  do  Thy  work.' 

Perhaps  it  was  the  sound  of  the  little  bell  of 
the  mission  chapel  of  the  harbour  that  had  made 


DEDICATION 


113 


him  touch  his  hat  in  reverence  to  the  muttered 
prayer, '  Show  me  which  is  my  duty  :  I  will  be  Thy 
servant  and  do  Thy  work  ' ;  and  made  him  turn  his 
steps  into  the  rough  edifice,  half  school-room  half 
chapel,  where  a  few  '  longshore  men,'  several 
women  and  many  children  were  present  for  a  few 
short  prayers,  a  little  instruction,  and  an  address. 
It  did  not  bear  directly  on  the  subjects  of 
Edward's  confused  and  troubled  mind,  but  it 
sent  him  away  with  a  certain  soothed  sense  that  a 
way  might  be  shown  to  him  of  devoting  himself  to 
the  service  of  God,  if  it  were  God's  will  to  relax 
the  ties  of  earthly  duty  so  as  to  free  him  for  it. 

Two  days  later  the  next  lecture  described  the 
solitary  work  of  Dr.  Judson,  and  his  sufferings  in 
Burmah  ;  then  Mr.  Marx  and  his  school  of  princes, 
with  their  martyrdom  under  King  Theebaw  ;  and 
the  later  development  among  the  Karens  and  the 
intelligent  Burmans.  Also  of  Singapore,  of  Rajah 
Brooke,  and  brave  Bishop  Macdougal  and  his 
wife — the  hopes,  the  disappointments,  the  testi- 
mony, the  success,  the  blessings,  the  needs. 

*  Oh,  Eddy,  is  it  not  glorious  t '  .said  Aline,  as 
they  moved  out ;  and  *  How  beautiful  upon  the 
mountains '  little  Mabel  was  whispering. 

H 


114 


DEDICATION 


'  It  does  not  seem  as  if  anything  else  was  worth 
living  for/  said  Aline. 

*  I  mean  to  try/  said  Edward,  between  his 
teeth. 

^  Oh  !  and  can't  women  go  too  ?  '  cried  Mabel. 
'There  was  Mrs.  Macdougal,  and  all  the  Mrs. 
Judsons  !    Oh  !  women  can  be  missionaries.' 

'  Her  little  soul  has  always  been  full  of  it/  said 
Aline,  '  and  indeed  ! ' 

Aline  broke  off,  shyly  remembering  the  way 
in  which  these  great  ladies  had  become  mission- 
aries ;  but,  like  Mabel,  Edward's  soul  was  too  full 
of  the  thought  for  any  less  important,  and  as  soon 
as  he  had  seen  the  tv/o  girls  to  their  door  he  hurried 
off,  while  his  impressions  were  at  their  strongest, 
to  see  whether  the  lecturer  had  left  the  room,  and 
to  ask  him  how  it  was  possible  to  be  prepared  and 
accepted  for  such  mission  work. 

The  lecturer,  Canon  Brodie,  was  taking  down 
and  rolling  up  his  maps  and  portraits,  with  two  of 
the  clergy  and  a  pupil-teacher  helping  him. 
Edward  felt  the  disadvantage  of  having  had  no 
intercourse  with  any  of  the  clergy  of  Awmouth. 
He  had  gone  to  church,  but  had  a  great  distaste 
to  walking  with  his  mother.  Miss  Grant,  and  Mr. 


DEDICATION 


115 


Cobbold  to  the  apportioned  seats  in  the  parish 
church,  and  had  preferred  to  try  all  the  churches 
round,  and  on  fine  Sundays  to  go  out  on  his 
bicycle  to  one  of  those  in  the  country,  or  to  be 
attracted  by  the  best  music,  or  the  more  interest- 
ing preachers.  The  vicar  of  the  parish  had  called 
on  Mrs.  Bryant,  but  though  she  was  always  civil, 
she  had  not  seen  that  it  was  needful  to  give  him 
much  encouragement,  and  he  had  never  even  heard 
of  her  son. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  the  freshness  of  his 
resolution,  Edward's  first  shyness  would  have 
carried  him  off  at  once  ;  but  he  was  there,  and 
had  been  seen,  and  one  of  the  clergymen  came 
and  asked  if  he  had  lost  his  hat  or  umbrella. 

'  No,  sir,  thank  you  ;  but  I  wished  to  speak  to 
Mr.  Brodie.'    So  the  die  was  cast ! 

The  curate  steered  him  up  to  Canon  Brodie, 
who  turned,  expecting  an  inquiry  after  some 
relation  in  Burmah  or  Singapore,  for  he  did  not 
often  hear  what  was  now  uttered,  in  a  tone  of 
desperate  resolution  : 

'  Sir,  I  should  be  much  obliged  if  you  would 
tell  me  of  any  way  in  which  I  could  be  put  in 
training  for  mission  work  abroad.' 

H  2 


ii6 


DEDICA  TION 


All  the  eyes  looked  him  over,  and  saw  a 
respectable-looking  youth  with  a  good  open 
face,  highly  coloured  from  the  effort  he  had 
made,  and  with  steadfast  mouth  and  grey 
eyes,  that  had  looked  straight  up  for  a 
moment,  and  then  were  cast  down.  The  Canon 
glanced  at  the  curates  to  see  whether  this 
were  an  acquaintance,  then  said :  '  I  should 
like  to  talk  to  you.  Will  you  give  me  your 
address  ? ' 

He  gave  his  home  and  his  business  address, 
from  which  it  could  be  understood  what  was  his 
position  as  an  office  clerk. 

^  You  live  with  your  mother  }  I  could  call  and 
see  her  to-morrow  morning.  Is  she  aware  of  your 
wish  ? '  as  Edward  seemed  to  hesitate. 

*  She  knows  it  has  long  been  my  wish  ;  but  I 
have  not  broached  it  to  her  yet' 

*  And  may  I  ask  whether  you  are  of  age  ?  ' 

^  I  shall  be  twenty  in  July.  There  is  a  certain 
sum  of  money  to  come  to  me  when  I  am  twenty- 
one,  perhaps  I  should  mention,  that  is,  if  my 
mother  can  get  on  without  it.' 

*  No.  12,  Freshet  Road,'  said  one  of  the  curates. 
*  That  is  St  Mark's  parish.    Do  you  know  the 


DEDICATION 


117 


rector  ?    Can  you  give  a  reference  to  him  ?  '  They 
were  now  all  walking  away  together. 

^  I  have  been  about  to  different  churches/  said 
Edward,  with  some  diffidence  ;  '  but  my  mother 
knows  him,  and  Miss  Grant,  who  boards  with  us 
And  Mrs.  Millar,  of  11,  Undercliff  Road,  knows  all 
about  us,'  he  added. 

'  Mrs.  Millar,'  said  the  curate.  '  My  sister 
knows  that  family— nice  girls.  At  the  mission's 
working  party,  eh  ?  ' 

*Yes,  sir.  They  come  from  our  old  home, 
Langbridge.' 

*  Have  you  had  this  design  long  ?  '  the  Canon 
asked,  rather  suddenly. 

*  Ever  since  I  was  a  boy  at  the  Grammar 
School,'  said  Edward.  *  There  was  a  magic  lantern 
that  made  me  think,  and  Mr.  Goodrich  lent  me 
books.' 

^  Goodrich  of  Saskatchewan  ? '  exclaimed  the 
Canon. 

*  Yes,  sir,'  cried  Edward,  lighting  up.  *  Do  you 
know  him  } ' 

^  I  saw  him  not  six  weeks  ago.  He  has  a  tidy 
little  church  and  congregation,  and  is  getting  on 
with  the  Indians.' 


ii8 


DEDICATION 


From  that  moment  all  was  friendly  and  easy 
on  that  side.  There  seemed  to  be  no  more  doubt 
about  young  Bryant's  earnestness  ;  but  as  he 
wished  to  prepare  his  mother,  and  perhaps  the 
Canon  also  wished  to  understand  his  position 
better,  it  was  determined  that  the  visit  to  her,  and 
the  consultation  about  ways  and  means  and 
localities,  should  be  left  till  this  had  been  done. 


UK 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  CHOICE 

By  other  sounds  the  world  is  won 
Than  that  which  wails  from  Macedon  ; 
The  roar  of  gain  is  round  it  roll'd 
Or  men  unto  themselves  are  sold, 
And  cannot  list  the  alien  cry, 
*  O  hear  and  help  us,  lest  we  die  ! ' 

Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern. 

O   prepare  his  mother !    Edward  was 
watching  for  a  moment  when  boarders 
and  servant  should  both  be  out  of  the 
way,  when  a  surprise  was  sprung  upon 
him  in  his  turn. 

Mr.  Cobbold  was  already  in  the  sitting-room 
when  he  came  down  to  dinner,  and  received  him 
with  :  *  So,  young  man,  I  have  a  good  offer  for  you 
— a  bit  of  promotion.  You  have  stuck  pretty 
steadily  to  work  these  three  years,  thanks  to 
having  me  and  the  lady  there  to  look  after  you  ; 


I20 


THE  CHOICE 


and  improved  yourself  in  the  foreign  lingos,  and 
I  have  spoken  in  your  favour  to  Mr.  Dobson,  so 
that  he  proposes  to  you  a  berth  in  the  office  at 
Singapore,  to  write  to  these  German  and  Dutch 
fellows,  getting  all  expenses  allowed  and  a  clear 
salary  of  lOO/.  a  year.  Pretty  offer  for  a  lad  of 
your  age,  I  should  say,  and  it  will  be  your  own 
fault,  with  your  property,  if  you  don't  get  into  a 
partnership  by-and-by,  when  you  are  of  age/ 

^  I  am  very  much  obliged  ;  thank  you,  sir,'  said 
Edward,  but  with  a  sound  of  hesitation  that  made 
his  mother  begin  hastily  : 

^  I  am  sure  it  is  most  kind  and  generous  of  Mr. 
Cobbold.' 

Perhaps  the  oddness  of  calling  that  a  generous 
act,  which  cost  Mr.  Cobbold  nothing,  helped  Edward 
to  speak  up.  *  It  is  very  kind  in  Mr.  Cobbold  ; 
but  I  had  thought  of  another  arrangement' 

'  Another  ? '  exclaimed  Mr.  Cobbold.  *  You've 
not  been  mean  and  ungrateful  enough  to  take 
proposals  from  Arkitt  and  Redding  without  a  word 
of  notice  ? ' 

'  Certainly  not,  Mr.  Cobbold,'  said  Edward  ;  *  I 
never  heard  nor  dreamt  of  such  a  thing.  I  should 
do  nothing  without  notice  to  our  firm  ;  but,  as  my 


THE  CHOICE 


121 


mother  knows,  I  have  long  thought  of  preparing 
for  foreign  mission  work,  and  I  have  spoken  to 
Canon  Brodie.  He  is  coming  to  talk  to  my 
mother  about  it  on  Wednesday/ 

*  And  if  she  takes  my  advice  she  will  send  him 
about  his  business.  IVe  no  patience  with  those 
parsons,  going  about  canting,  and  getting  idle 
young  men  to  get  into  their  own  beggarly 
business,  making  humbugs  of  the  poor  natives, 
and  then  coming  home  and  begging  round  the 
country ! ' 

Edward  had  heard  something  like  this  before  ; 
and  his  mother  moaned  out :  *  Tm  sure  you  know 
that  your  poor  dear  grandfather  was  always 
against  any  such  nonsense.  And  didn't  you  promise 
that — that  you  would  always  take  care  of  me,  like 
a  good  son  ?  ' 

'  But,  mother,  if  you  want  me  to  go  to  Singa- 
pore you  can't  want  me  here  ?  ' 

For  Singapore  had  cut  the  ground  from  under 
Mrs.  Bryant's  feet ;  but  she  exclaimed  :  '  I  only — it 
was  only  for  your  own  good.' 

*  And  this  is  for  my  good — my  real  good,' 
emphatically  declared  Edward.  '  Mother '  (as  Miss 
Grant  was  heard  coming  downstairs),  'don't  let  us 


122 


THE  CHOICE 


say  any  more  about  it  now.  Let  us  talk  it  all 
over  by-and-by/ 

There  was  something  about  the  young  man 
that  did  impose  silence  on  the  party  till  dinner 
was  over,  though  Miss  Grant  tried  to  keep  up 
some  sort  of  conversation  ;  but  the  answers  were  so 
short  that  her  attempts  fell,  and  Mrs.  Bryant 
scarcely  ate  anything,  and  was  very  near  crying. 
When  it  was  over,  and  Mr.  Cobbold  was  to  be  left  to 
smoke  his  pipe,  he  held  out  his  hand  as  she  passed 
him,  and  said  :  ^  Don't  let  him  make  a  fool  of  you.' 

As  Miss  Grant  ascended  the  stairs,  having  tact 
enough  to  ask  no  questions,  Mrs.  Bryant  subsided 
into  a  chair  and  began  to  cry,  while  Edward  stood 
before  her,  embarrassed  and  distressed.  ^  Well, 
mamma,' at  last  he  said, ^ what  is  it?  You  seemed 
willing  enough  to  part  with  me  just  now.' 

^  Ah,  that  was  for  your  good.  You  would  be 
in  the  way  of  making  your  fortune.' 

*  Is  there  no  good  but  making  a  fortune } ' 
exclaimed  Edward. 

And  not  knowing  exactly  how  to  answer  this, 
she  went  on  :  *  And  that  you  should  be  so  ungrateful, 
and  undutiful  too.'  But  as  she  stopped  for  a  sob, 
Edward  broke  out : 


EDWARD  BRYANT  AND  HIS  MOTHER.  p.  123. 


THE  CHOICE 


123 


^  I  don't  owe  any  duty  to  old  Cobbold.' 

'  Hush  !  hush  !  But  don't  you  know.  Oh  !  I 
meant  to  have  told  you.  He  is  going  to  be — your 
— your  ' 

'  I  see/  said  Edward  ;  '  but  he  is  not  yet,  and,  if 
he  were,  I  am  not  bound  to  obey  him.  Never  mind, 
mother,  I  shall  be  just  as  much  out  of  his  way  and 
yours  as  if  I  went  to  Singapore,  or  wherever  it  is.' 

'  Oh,  Eddy,  Eddy,  don't  say  such  things.  It  is 
not  that  I  wish  or  I  want — I  can't  bear  the  thought 
of  parting  with  you — my  own  boy — except  for 
your  own  advantage ;  but,  you  see '  (now  she  was 
rehearsing  what  she  had  been  conning  over  for 
several  days,  and  never  found  courage  to  utter) :  *  I 
have  been  a  widow  seventeen  years,  and  no  one 
knows  what  I  went  through  with  your  poor 
grandfather,  all  for  your  sake.' 

*  Yes,  yes ;  indeed  you  have  always  been  the 
best  of  mothers  to  me — Yes,  indeed,'  he  repeated, 
in  another  interval  caused  by  her  weeping. 

'  And  now,'  she  resumed,  *  when  there  is  a  good 
opening,  and  such  a  kind  good  gentleman,  so 
worthy,  and  willing  to  act  so  handsomely  by  you 
and  by  me,  you  can't  believe  but  that  I  would 
consult  your  good,  my  boy,  my  only  dear  boy.' 


124 


THE  CHOICE 


She  held  out  her  hands  to  him  affectionately, 
and  he  bent  over  her  and  kissed  her,  saying,  in  a 
warm  and  kindly  tone  :  *  Yes,  mother,  I  would  not 
stand  in  the  way  of  your  happiness.'  Yet,  even  then, 
the  wonder  occurred  to  him  how  could  any  one  ex- 
pect to  be  made  happy  by  Mr.  Cobbold  ?  But,  then, 
he  had  been  a  housemate  for  three  years,  and  might 
be  known  to  have  nothing  objectionable  about 
him. 

She  had  a  little  more  to  say  about  Mr. 
Cobbold's  being  so  much  respected,  and  having  a 
share  in  the  house  of  business,  and  a  comfortable 
income,  and  how  they  meant,  when  Miss  Grant 
went  away,  as  she  was  likely  soon  to  do,  to  take 
no  more  boarders,  but  move  into  a  smaller  house 
and  live  at  ease.  It  was  evident  that  the  grown- 
up son  made  no  part  in  these  schemes,  though  it 
ended  with  :  '  You  know  there  will  always  be  a  bed 
and  welcome  for  you,  my  own  dear  boy.  And,  oh ! 
your  mother's  heart  will  be  so  glad  to  see  you.' 
Then,  as  he  returned  warmly  the  caress  that 
followed,  she  went  on,  recollecting  herself :  ^  And 
now,  can't  you  just  please  me,  and  give  up  this 
enthusiastic  fad  as  you  did  before,  and  take  this 
post — ever  so  much  to  your  advantage,  you  know  } ' 


THE  CHOICE 


125 


These  words  brought  others  to  Edward — ^  What 
shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and 
lose  his  own  soul  ?  ' 

*  I  cannot  give  it  up,  mother/  he  said,  spoke 
solemnly  to  God,  and  told  Him  I  would/ 

^  Did  any  one  hear  you,  my  son  ? '  she  asked,  as 
if  half  frightened  at  the  mention. 

*  Nobody.  But  that  makes  no  difference ;  it 
is  between  God  and  my  own  soul.  Mother,  I  do 
believe  that  our  Saviour  began  calling  me  long 
ago,  when  I  saw  the  magic  lantern  at  Langbridge, 
to  do  what  I  can  to  help  His  kingdom  to  spread 
over  the  world  ;  and  I  mean  to  do  it,  God  helping 
me.  Nothing  held  me  back  but  my  duty  to  you  ; 
and  as  it  is  plain  that  you  require  me  no  longer — it 
is  getting  plain  before  me.  Good-night ;  I  am  going 
to  take  a  turn  on  the  Parade.' 

It  was  better  to  be  away  without  last  words  ; 
and  he  took  a  walk  up  and  down  the  Parade  in  the 
long  spring  twilight,  trying  to  realise  all  that  had 
passed.  His  own  venture  was  uttered,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  announcement  that  had  been 
looming  in  the  distance  had  been  made,  and  the 
only  parent  he  had  known  and  whom  he  loved  was 
practically  casting  him  off.    But  his  way  was 


126 


THE  CHOICE 


opened,  though  at  the  cost  of  what  sacrifice  was  yet 
to  be  known.  It  was  all  in  such  doubt  that  he  could 
not  think,  and  he  felt  the  need  of  sympathy. 

Andrews,  to  whom  he  could  talk,  but  who  had 
to  be  argued  over  each  time,  was  sure  to  be  at  the 
Reading  Room,  and  though  it  was  not  his  custom, 
Edward  felt  drawn  irresistibly  to  ii,  Undercliff 
Road.  He  pocketed  his  pipe,  strode  on,  and  rang 
at  the  door.  After  a  little  delay  and  bustle  it  was 
Mabel  who  opened  it.  '  Oh,  Eddy,  Eddy,  come  in  ! 
What  fun,  mamma  and  Frances  are  drinking  tea 
at  Mrs.  Mailing's,  and  Susan  is  having  her  evening 
out.    Aline  and  I  have  it  all  to  ourselves.' 

She  brought  him  in,  to  where  the  table  was 
covered  with  exercise  books  and  dictionaries,  and 
Aline  sprang  up,  evidently  from  elbows  on  the 
table,  hands  in  her  hair,  and  general  hard  work. 

'  Is  anything  the  matter,  Eddy  ? '  she  cried,  for 
there  was  something  in  his  face  that  looked  like  a 
crisis. 

^  No.  But  I've  done  it,'  he  said,  passing  his 
hand  over  his  face  as  he  took  off  his  hat. 

*  Done  it !  spoken  out  t  To  the  Canon  ?  Oh  ! 
you  are  a  brick  !  I  am  so  glad.'  And  Mabel  began 
to  dance  round  him. 


THE  CHOICE 


127 


'  Don't,  Mab,'  said  her  sister,  '  you  are  too  big 
to  make  such  a  row  ;  and,  look  at  Edward  ;  you 
see  it  is  a  very  solemn  thing/ 

Mabel  was  quieted  by  the  words,  and  stood 
with  clasped  hands,  looking  at  Edward's  counte- 
nance, as  he  said,  *  Yes,  I  have  given  myself,  and 
asked  to  be  helped  to  see  my  way/ 

*  Then  you  will  really,  really  be  a  missionary, 
and  teach  the  heathen,  and  spread  the  kingdom  ?  ^ 
gasped  Mabel. 

*  I  hope  so,'  was  Edward's  reply,  seeing  full 
agreement  in  Aline's  eyes.  '  But,'  he  went  on, 
*  here  is  my  mother  going  to  give  herself  to  old 
Cobbold.' 

*  Mamma  and  Frances  have  been  full  of  that 
ever  so  long,'  said  Aline.  ^  Have  you  only  just 
found  it  out  ?  ' 

'  I  have  suspected  it  for  a  long  time,  but  could 
not  speak  of  it  till  she  told  me,'  said  Edward.  '  But 
this  evening  she  did.  And  they  want  to  send  me 
out  to  Singapore  on  business  affairs.' 

'  Then  there  can't  be  any  difficulty  about  her 
parting  with  you  ? '  said  Aline. 

*  No  ;  but  Cobbold  is  dead  against  it,  just  like 
my  poor  old  grandfather  ;  calls  me  all  sorts  of  fools, 


128 


THE  CHOICE 


and  may  hinder  her  from  consenting.  I  don't  feel 
bound  to  obey  him,  but  I  could  not  bear  not 
to  have  her  consent  and  blessing.  Besides,  he 
might  keep  her  from  letting  me  have  my  own 
money  before  I  come  of  age  in  two  years'  time.' 

*  I  think,'  said  Aline,  '  it  would  not  be  a  bad 
plan  for  you  to  write  to  Mr.  Fraser.  He  could 
persuade  her  if  any  one  can.' 

'  Yes  ;  he  is  a  friend  of  Mr.  Goodrich.  Oh ! 
Aline,  this  Canon  Brodie  knows  Mr.  Goodrich,  and 
his  church  in  Saskatchewan.' 

^  Oh,  among  the  Red  Indians,'  exclaimed  Aline, 
*  in  all  the  snow.  Shall  you  go  out  there,  Eddy, 
and  wear  snow-shoes,  and  christen  the  papooses  ? ' 

'  That  is  what  I  should  like  ;  but  I  shall  not 
know  till  I  have  been  at  St.  Augustine's.' 

'  St.  Augustine's — is  it  a  place  out  there  ? ' 

*  Out  there  1  Mab  thinks  out  there  is  some 
place  where  any  number  of  natives  are  to  be 
found.' 

'  Now,  Aline,  you  know  I  am  not  such  a 
goose.' 

*  But  you  do  know  about  St.  Augustine,  Mab, 
said  Edward,  '  in  your  history  of  England.' 

'  The  man  that  the  good  Pope  Gregory  sent  to 


THE  CHOICE 


129 


England  when  he  saw  the  Angle  boys  looking  like 
angels.' 

*  The  same.    Well  '  he  began. 

*  In  Kent.  Yes,  I  know,  and  that  is  why  we 
have  Archbishops  of  Canterbury.' 

*  Well,  there  began  from  his  time  a  great 
monastery  at  Canterbury  which  was  called  after 
him.' 

*  Oh,  yes,'  said  Aline.  *  Remember,  Mabel, 
they  used  to  elect  the  Archbishops,  and  there  were 
rows  with  them.' 

*  I  recollect ;  I  suppose  history  does  help. 
Well  ' 

'  It  was  broken  up  at  the  Reformation,  sold, 
and  all  ran  to  ruin.  I  believe  there  was  a  brewery 
there  till  about  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago.  A  good 
rich  man,  Mr.  Alexander  Beresford  Hope,  bought 
the  remains  for  a  college  to  prepare  missionaries, 
and  it  has  gone  on  and  flourished  ever  since. 
Canon  Brodie  was  telling  me  about  it ;  and  if  a 
man  wants  to  go  out  properly  prepared,  and  taught, 
not  only  divinity  scholarship,  but  the  sort  of  things 
that  a  missionary  ought  to  know,  he  will  be  sent 
out  in  connection  with  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel.' 

I 


I30 


THE  CHOICE 


*  And  how  long  will  it  take  ? '  asked  Mabel. 

'  About  three  years,  I  believe  ;  and  though  it  has 
been  made  as  cheap  as  possible,  still  one  must  have 
some  means.' 

'  Oh  ! '  sighed  Mabel.  *  I  thought  you  would  go 
at  once,  like  people  in  books  ;  only  I  suppose  you 
must  be  ordained  first.  Yes,  I  should  like  you  in 
Canada.  Or  I  should  best  like  you  to  go  to  China 
to  save  the  poor  babies  that  they  bury  alive.  Or 
to  the  dear  Coral  Isles,  where  they  make  houses 
up  in  trees.  Or  to  Africa,  where  they  are  all 
black,  and  have  been  slaves,  with  yokes  like  a  Y 
round  their  necks.    Or  ' 

*  Oh,  Mabel,  Mabel,  there's  a  great  deal  to  come 
first,  and  no  one  knows  what  it  will  be  at  last' 

*  Only  somehow  it  will  be,'  said  x^line.  *  It  will 
be  the  old  hymn,  "  Salvation,  oh,  salvation,  the 
joyful  sound  proclaim."  ' 

The  three  young  voices  joined  in  the  hymn  ; 
and  then,  a  clock  striking  warned  Edward  that  if 
he  did  not  hurry  home  he  might  be  late,  and  he 
was  in  no  frame  for  argument  that  night. 


CHAPTER  XII 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 

To  draw  His  soldiers  backward  from  the^^Cross 
Woe  and  eternal  loss. — Lyra  Innocentium. 

ANON  BRODIE  kept  his  word,  and 
called  on  Mrs.  Bryant  ;  but  she  was  in 
dread  of  what  Mr.  Cobbold  might  say 
to  her,  and  only  went  on  in  an  uncertain 
way  about  its  being  very  hard,  when  she  had  done 
everything  for  her  son — her  only  son — that  he 
should  want  to  go  against  all  her  wishes,  on 
schemes  of  his  own,  to  which  she  would  never  give 
her  consent — taking  away  just  the  little  income 
she  had  to  depend  on.  This  was  stretching  a 
point  a  good  deal,  for  Mr.  Cobbold's  income  much 
exceeded  that  which  was  derived  from  Edward's 
small  inheritance,  and  this  Edward  well  knew. 


132  CHURCH  OR  WORLD 

And  he  felt  the  reproach  unjust ;  but  he  would  have 
perforce  put  off  his  scheme  till  he  was  of  age,  and 
could  get  possession  of  his  own  property. 

The  Canon  indeed  told  him  that  he  might  hope 
to  be  adopted  as  the  pupil  whose  expenses  were 
paid  at  St.  Augustine's  College  by  the  diocese  ;  but 
there  was  the  feeling,  right  or  wrong,  of  not  being 
treated  as  an  object  of  charity  ;  and,  besides,  what 
was  more  to  the  purpose,  it  was  a  disadvantage 
that  his  churchmanship,  though  real,  had  been  of 
such  a  wandering  sort  that  he  had  never  come  into 
contact  with  any  of  the  clergy  ;  and  the  utmost 
any  of  them  could  say  about  him  was  that  the 
vicar  of  the  parish  believed  that  Mrs.  Bryant,  of 
Freshet  Road,  had  a  son  ;  and  at  St.  Faith's  the 
clergy  supposed  he  was  the  young  man  who  was 
generally  a  monthly  communicant. 

Aline's  suggestion,  however,  turned  out  to  have 
been  very  good.  Edward  wrote  to  Mr.  Fraser  at 
Langbridge,  and  the  next  day  the  rector  made 
his  appearance  at  Dobson's  office,  and  asked  for  an 
interview  with  the  head  of  the  firm.  There  he  was 
told,  in  answer  to  his  inquiries,  that  there  was  no 
fault  to  find  with  young  Bryant  ;  he  was  a  good, 
steady,  punctual  clerk,  who  had  improved  himself 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


133 


a  good  deal,  and  there  was  an  idea  of  promoting 
him,  and  of  sending  him  out  to  Singapore  ;  but  of 
late  Cobbold,  the  head  clerk,  had  feared  that  he 
had  some  enthusiastic  religious  mania,  and  Cobbold 
ought  to  know,  for  it  was  reported  that  he  was 
engaged  to  the  young  man's  mother. 

Then  Mr.  Fraser  asked  if  Bryant  could  be 
spared  for  an  interview,  and  they  were  a  joyful 
sight  to  one  another,  for  Edward  had  grown  into 
a  fine  young  man,  insensibly  having  lost  much  of 
his  loutish,  boyish  look,  and  his  countenance  had 
refined  with  thought,  his  reading,  English  and 
foreign,  and  his  Shakespeare  Club,  while  the 
*  Triton '  practice  in  sea  boating  had  kept  him 
strong  and  healthy. 

*  So,  Edward,'  said  Mr.  Fraser,  as  they  walked 
towards  the  Parade  together,  ^  you  have  still  kept 
your  old  wish  ? ' 

*  Yes,  sir.  I  put  it  aside  while  I  thought  my 
mother  needed  me,  but  I  do  not  think  she  does  at 
present,  and,  in  fact,  in  this  new  connection  she  had 
rather  have  me  out  of  the  way.' 

Edward  spoke  in  the  set  way  of  one  who  had 
thought  a  good  deal  over  the  matter. 

'  And,'  said  Mr.  Fraser,  a  good  deal  impressed. 


134 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


*this  has  been  your  consistent  desire  ever  since 
Archdeacon  Smithson's  sermon/ 

^  Not  consistent,  sir — off  and  on  ;  but  Mr. 
Goodrich  lent  me  books,  and  it  has  grown  more 
upon  me  since  I  have  been  here.' 

^  Without  external  pressure  } ' 

*  I  think  not,  till  just  lately ;  Canon  Brodie's 
lectures  have  shown  me  more  of  the  system  and 
of  the  actual  needs.' 

'  I  see  ;  I  think  it  may  be  said  to  be  really  a 
call.    Have  you  any  definite  plan  or  wishes  ? ' 

*  I  should  like,  if  possible,  to  be  where  Mr. 
Goodrich  is  ;  but  otherwise  I  do  not  know.  And  I 
suppose,  by  what  Canon  Brodie  says,  that  some 
training  would  be  required  ?  ' 

'  Certainly.  You  ought  to  have  a  course  at  St. 
Augustine's  at  Canterbury.  I  should  gather  that 
you  have  the  means  for  this.  Terms  45/.  a  year, 
exclusive  of  other  expenses.' 

^  Yes,  sir ;  if  my  mother  will  let  me  have  the 
amount.  But,  even  after  I  am  of  age,  it  is  partly 
in  her  power,  and  I  think  in  that  of  Mr. 
Twistleden.' 

'You  will  not  be  eligible  for  St.  Augustine's  till 
you  are  twenty.' 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


135 


^That  I  shall  be  in  the  summer — July  3. 
And  I  should  wish  to  begin  at  once,  to  lose  no 

time,  and  '  there  he  stopped,  not  expressing 

that  his  position  at  home  might  not  be  comfortable. 

*  Twistleden  ? — I  think  he  came  to  Langbridge 
at  the  time  of  your  grandfather's  funeral  ?  ' 

'  Yes.  He  was  my  father's  friend,  a  gentleman 
in  the  law,  and  was  made  trustee  with  my  mother. 
I  remember  thinking  him  kind,  and  quite  the 
gentleman  at  the  time  ;  and  I  had  thought  of 
writing  to  him,  but  I  did  not  like  to,  till  I  knew 
what  was  to  be  done  with  my  mother.' 

*  I  recollect  having  the  same  impression  ;  and  I 
should  think  there  would  be  no  difficulty  with  him 
personally,  but  one  can  never  tell.  The  whole 
mission  cause  has  been  so  much  neglected  in  Eng- 
land, except  by  persons  external  to  the  Church,  till 
within  comparatively  late  years,  that  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  prejudice  in  quarters  one  does  not  expect, 
as  in  the  case  of  your  mother.' 

*  I  do  not  think  it  is  so  much  her  own  self,'  said 
Edward,  ^  except  the  parting  with  me  ;  but  what 
Mr.  Cobbold  tells  her.' 

*  Well,  I  will  see  what  can  be  done  with  her,  and 
I  must  not  keep  you  any  longer. 


136 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


No  warning  of  Mr.  Fraser's  coming  had  been 
given  to  Mrs.  Bryant,  and  when  his  card  had  been 
sent  up,  and  her  best  cap  donned,  she  received  him 
with  :  *  Well,  Mr.  Fraser,  this  is  a  pleasure,  I  did 
not  know  you  were  in  the  place  ;  I  hope  I  may  hear 
you  preach,  it  would  be  so  like  the  old  days.' 

Mr.  Fraser  was  rather  amused,  for  he  did  not 
think  the  old  days  had  been  very  happy  ones  to 
her,  or  that  she  had  very  much  experience  of  his 
preaching,  though  hardly  by  her  own  fault ;  so  he 
only  complimented  her,  and  very  truly,  on  looking 
very  well,  as  indeed  she  had  a  plump  and  pros- 
perous air,  very  different  from  her  worn  and  down- 
trodden appearance  under  old  Bryant's  tyranny  ; 
and  *  Might  he  congratulate  her  ? '  he  said. 

She  smiled  and  coloured  a  little.  '  Well,  Mr. 
Fraser,  it  is  not  a  hasty  measure.  He  has  been  an 
inmate  here  going  on  for  four  years,  and  an  ex- 
cellent, superior  gentleman,  who  has  never  given 
any  trouble  ;  and  I  was  sure  it  was  for  my  boy's 
good,  or  nothing  should  have  made  me  consent. 
Shall  you  be  here  after  five  o'clock,  Mr.  Fraser } 
I  should  like  you  to  see  my  son,  and  to  introduce 
you  to  Mr.  Cobbold.' 

*  Thank  you  ;  I  shall  have  to  be  going  home.' 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


137 


^  Ah  ;  I  do  wish  you  could  see  Edward.  You 
spoke  to  him  strong  about  his  duty  before,  sir,  and 
it  would  be  well  if  you  could  persuade  him  it  is  his 
duty  to  drop  all  these  ideas  of  his — enthusiastic, 
fanatical,  as  Mr.  Cobbold  says,  about  throwing 
everything  up  and  going  out  to  heathen  lands  as  a 
missionary.' 

'  But,  Mrs.  Bryant,  I  don't  know  that  it  is  his 
duty; 

^  Nay,  now,  sir,  you  backed  me  up  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  give  up  the  farm  and  provide  for  me  ; 
and  now,  why  should  he  leave  me,  and  go  off  from 
all  his  best  prospects  just  when  he  is  old  enough  to 
profit  by  them  ? ' 

*  Perhaps,  Mrs.  Bryant,  you  and  I  do  not  mean 
quite  the  same  thing  by  profit' 

*  Well,  sir,  you  are  a  clergyman  ;  and — and  — — ' 
(breaking  off  and  beginning  again),  *  I  suppose  you 
would  say  it  was  right  there  should  be  mission- 
aries to  the  heathen,  though  there  are  those  that 
think  they  would  do  as  well,  or  better,  if  they 
were  let  alone  ;  but,  then,  why  must  they  take  my 
son,  my  only  one,  all  I  have  got,  for  them  ?  ' 

*  I  confess  I  thought  your  son's  first  duty  was 
to  you,  and  did  not  encourage  his  aspirations  ;  but 


138 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


you  cannot  say  that  circumstances  are  the  same 
now,  nor  that  you  were  intending  to  keep  him 
at  home/ 

She  murmured  again  something  about  *  For  his 
good/ 

'For  his  earthly  profit,  you  mean.  You  are 
willing  to  let  him  run  the  risks  of  climate  and 
temptation,  while  you  stand  in  the  way  and  make 
yourself  an  obstacle  to  what,  to  his  mind  and  to 
mine,  is  a  call  from  God  to  work  for  his  Heavenly 
Master — ^for  his  own  eternal  welfare,  and  that  of 
others.  I  should  feel  it  a  frightful  responsibility 
to  endeavour  to  obstruct  such  a  call' 

She  began  to  cry,  and  to  say  something  about 
talking  to  Mr.  Cobbold. 

*  It  is  not  a  matter  in  which  Mr.  Cobbold  is 
concerned.  He  has  no  claim  upon  the  young  man, 
nor  on  what  comes  to  him  from  his  father/ 

*  Except  that  I  am  trustee  with  Mr.  Twistleden, 
and  have  to  give  consent  if  he  wants  it.  I  have 
always  received  the  interest  till  now,  and  his  salary 
has  gone  for  his  pocket-money  and  expenses.' 

'  You  were  giving  it  up,  anyway,  now.  All  that 
is  asked  of  you  is  to  relinquish  this  last  two  years' 
income — you  will  have  no  choice  when  he  comes 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


139 


Qf  age — to  enable  him  to  prepare  for  the  noble 
course  that  is  before  him.  And,  Mrs.  Bryant,  I 
think  I  may  tell  you,  from  my  own  experience, 
that  it  is  a  very  perilous  thing  to  balk  such 
aspirations.  I  have  known  those  who  have  re- 
signed them  never  able  to  settle  to  anything  again, 
and  with  spoilt  lives.' 

Something  struck  Mrs.  Bryant  with  the  re- 
membrance that  she  had  never  been  uneasy  about 
Edward,  except  when  he  had  been  threat- 
ened and  disappointed  out  of  his  schemes  as  a 
boy ;  but  she  still  had  not  given  in,  and  moaned 
something  about  being  sure  that  he  would  always 
be  a  good  lad,  if  things  were  not  put  into  his  head, 
people  fancying  he  would  be  a  gentleman,  and  so 
forth. 

*  You  know  and  I  know  that  the  impression,  the 
call,  as  I  may  say,  came  long  ago,  quite  unconnected 
with  any  such  idea,  from  a  sermon  of  Archdeacon 
Smithson's.  What  I  call  on  you  to  promise — as 
one  who  has  known  you  and  your  son  for  many 
years — is,  that  you  will  not  allow  yourself  to  be 
persuaded  to  withhold  your  consent,  nor  the 
property  to  which  he  has  a  full  right,  from  being 
used  in  the  work  to  which  he  feels  himself  called/ 


I40 


CHURCH  OR  WORLD 


*  Well,  Mr.  Fraser,  since  you  make  such  a 
point  of  it  ' 

*  I  have  your  promise,  then  ? ' 

*  Yes,  sir.' 

He  shook  hands  with  her,  and  told  her  he  was 
going  to  call  on  his  old  friend,  Mrs.  Millar ;  and  he 
did  not  choose  to  hear  a  murmur  about  the  Millar 
girls  putting  fancies  in  her  son's  head  about  being 
a  clergyman  and  a  gentleman.  She  was  sure  that 
Aline  was  at  the  bottom  of  it.  So  she  was  sighing 
to  herself,  even  when  the  door  was  shut  on  Mr. 
Fraser ;  but  her  thoughts  were  better  than  her 
words.  *  If  her  Eddy  really  had  a  call,  it  was  not 
for  her  to  hinder  it' 


CHAPTER  XIII 


THOSE  AT  HOME 

Smooth  thou  his  path  ere  it  is  trod, 

Burnish  the  arms  that  he  must  wield, 
And  pray  with  all  thy  strength  that  God 
May  crown  him  victor  in  the  field. 

\F  Mrs.  Bryant  had  seen  Aline  and  Mabel 
after  Mr.  Eraser's  visit  to  their  mother, 
she  would  have  been  confirmed  in  her 
idea  that  her  son  had  been  inspired  by 
them  ;  and  yet  it  was  chiefly  their  sympathy  which 
had  helped  him  to  make  his  longing  a  resolution. 
As  soon  as  they  had  come  in  from  the  High  School, 
and  heard  what  had  been  the  purport  of  the  call, 
they  went  up  into  the  little  room  that  they  shared, 
and  Mabel  said  :  *  Let  us  thank  God  for  it ! ' 

*  But  how  ?  '  said  Aline. 

*  Can't  we  kneel  down  and  say  it  in  our  hearts  ? 
Or  the  collect  they  read  before  a  working  party  ? ' 


142 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


'  That's  the  Good  Friday  one.' 
They  found  it,  and  went  on  to  Easter  Sun- 
day. 

'  It  is  only  that  college  yet,'  sighed  Mabel  ;  '  I 
wish  it  was  to  be  directly.  I  wonder  where  he 
will  go  ?  I  do  want  it  to  be  China,  to  save  the 
dear  babies.' 

*  He  is  a  long  way  from  that  as  yet,'  said  Aline  ; 
*  but  it  is  a  happy  thing  to  know  that  we  can  be 
working  in  the  same  cause.' 

^  And  when  we  say  Thy  kingdom  come,"  ' 
added  Mabel. 

Mrs.  Millar  was  a  person  of  a  good  deal  of 
weight,  to  whom  Mrs.  Bryant  had  always  been 
used  to  look  up  ;  and  her  influence  had  a  good 
effect  in  producing  a  certain  acquiescence  in  the 
scheme.  Mr.  Cobbold  was  contemptuous ;  but 
when  Mr.  Twistleden,  the  guardian,  came  down 
and  showed  himself  ready  to  consent,  Mr.  Cobbold 
found  the  world  too  much  against  him  to  continue 
to  offer  much  opposition  to  the  plans  of  his  future 
stepson.  Mr.  Twistleden  declared  that  it  was  a 
better  prospect  for  Edward  to  be  educated  and 
take  rank  with  the  clergy  than  to  continue  to  be 
a  corn  merchant's  clerk.    It  was  a  worldly  view  ; 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


143 


but  it  pacified  the  friends,  even  while  Mr.  Cobbold 
sneered  at  ^  beggarly  parsons/ 

*  But  let  me  give  you  a  piece  of  advice/  said 
the  lawyer.  *  Don't  go  to  St.  Augustine's  en- 
tangled in  any  engagement  with  any  young 
woman.  I  have  been  told  it  so  often  happens. 
The  young  man  gets  trained  and  becomes 
superior,  while  the  girl  stays  at  home,  and  has  no 
opportunities.  They  become  unsuited  ;  but  the 
engagement  is  adhered  to,  and  she  becomes  a 
burthen,  more  especially  if  he  is  among  colonists 
of  a  higher  class.' 

*  There  is  nothing,'  said  Edward,  and  he  spoke 
truly ;  but,  as  if  Mr.  Twistleden  had  put  it 
into  his  mind,  a  strange  sense  came  across  him 
that  it  was  just  possible  that  there  might  have 
been  something  with  Aline  Millar,  who,  at  any 
rate,  was  not  his  inferior,  nor  was  she  failing 
to  improve  herself  And  how  pretty  she  had 
grown,  and  how  she  went  along  with,  or  even  be- 
yond him,  in  feeling  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  ! 

However,  he  knew  that  all  was  too  uncertain 
as  to  his  destination  for  him  to  attempt  to  draw 
her  into  any  attachment,  and  that  they  had  better 
both  attend  to  their  studies.     Only  he  wished 


144 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


nothing  had  been  said  about  it ;  and  he  began  to 
suspect  it  was  in  Mrs.  Millar's  head,  from  the 
pains  she  took  that  Frances  or  Mabel  should 
always  be  with  Aline.  Frances  was  like  a  sheet 
of  cold  water  towards  any  mission  talk  ;  but  as  to 
Mabel,  it  was  all  she  cared  for,  the  romance  of  her 
girlhood,  and  she  was  so  certain  to  have  some 
wonderful  story  of  admirable  negroes,  of  terrible 
tortures,  or  dangerous  adventures,  out  of  an  old  col- 
lection of  missionary  magazines,  which  she  had 
disinterred,  that  it  was  almost  a  joke  with  her 
schoolfellows  what  would  be  her  next  history  of 
remarkable  achievement. 

Any  excitement  in  Edward  Bryant's  presence 
would  soon  be  removed,  for,  as  soon  as  sufficient 
notice  had  been  given  to  Dobson  &  Co.,  and  his 
successor  had  been  found,  Mr.  Fraser  had  invited 
him  to  spend  the  weeks  that  would  inter- 
vene, before  his  admission  to  St.  Augustine's  Col- 
lege, at  Langbridge  Rectory,  so  as  to  be  a  little 
prepared  for  the  new  atmosphere,  which  would 
be  unlike  anything  to  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed. 

This  was  to  take  place  as  soon  as  Frances 
Millar's  wedding  was  over,  at  Whitsuntide.  Mrs. 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


145 


Bryant  and  Edward  were  the  oldest  friends  within 
reach,  but  could  not  be  spared. 

After  all,  however,  it  was  a  very  quiet  wedding, 
with  only  the  two  sisters  as  bridesmaids ;  and  it 
would  hardly  have  been  evident  to  the  neighbours  at 
large  but  for  the  white  ribbon  on  the  whip  of  the 
driver  of  the  fly  in  which  the  bride  went  to  church, 
and  the  pretty  hats  of  Aline  and  Mabel. 

Aline  looked  very  well  under  the  shade  of  hers, 
and  when  the  healths  had  been  drunk,  and  the 
cake  cut,  and  the  bride  and  bridegroom  started  off 
to  the  station,  she  looked  at  Edward  with  tears 
springing  to  her  eyes,  which  actually  fell  when 
Mabel  burst  out  with  :  '  Oh,  dear  !  Oh,  dear  !  How 
dull  and  lonely  we  shall  be  now ;  everybody  going 
away,  and  you  won't  be  here  to  have  squabbles  with 
Francie.' 

*For  your  amusement.  Pussy,'  said  Edward, 
trying  to  make  light  of  the  break-up,  which  he  also 
felt. 

*  No,'  said  Mabel ;  ^  but  when  you  have  an 
argument  you  do  say  such  beautiful  things  some- 
times, that  it  quite  chokes  Aline  and  me  to  think 
what  a  splendid  life  it  is,  doesn't  it,  Allie  ? ' 

But  Aline  had  run  away,  and  Edward  could 

K 


146 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


say  nothing  but,  *  You  ridiculous  child.'  He  said 
it,  however,  in  a  tone  that  did  not  silence  Mabel, 
who  went  on  :  *  And,  do  you  know,  Eddy,  we  have 
found  out  how  we  can  go  on  helping  in  the  cause. 
Miss  Elsworthy,  who  had  the  working  party,  is 
always  collecting  for  a  sale  of  work  to  get  money 
for  foreign  missio|fc,  and  Allie  and  I  are  going  to 
take  her  all  the  fancy  work  and  things  we  can  make, 
and  it  will  be  so  nice  to  know  we  are  working  for 
you  ! ' 

*  For  the  cause,  Mab,'  corrected  Aline. 

Well,  the  cause  and  Edward  are  all  the  same.' 

Thank  you,  Mab,'  he  said,  touched,  though 
smiling,  and  feeling  that  a  few  pin-cushions  would 
hardly  be  a  great  assistance  to  ^  the  cause.' 

So  he  went  to  Langbridge,  expecting  to  be 
recalled  by  his  mother's  wedding  ;  but  even  before 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards  had  settled  into  their  new 
house,  the  tidings  came,  in  a  very  brief  note,  that 
Mrs.  Bryant  had  been  married  to  Mr.  Cobbold,  very 
quietly,  only  a  week  after  the  other  marriage,  and  by 
license.  ^  We  thought  it  best  to  be  as  private  as 
possible,'  wrote  the  mother,  '  and  I  knew  it  would 
avoid  pain  to  you  ;  but  my  dear  son  may  be  sure  of 
his  mother's  affection  though  he  has  chosen  such  a 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


147 


different  line  from  what  she  would  have  wished, 
and  Mr.  Cobbold  desires  me  to  say  that  he  will 
always  be  sure  of  a  welcome.' 

In  spite  of  these  words,  Edward  did  not  feel  as 
if  he  could  bear  to  think  of  the  sort  of  welcome  he 
should  meet ;  and  he  spent  some  hours  in  wandering 
about  in  sight  of  the  old  farm,  sitting  on  stiles, 
and  thinking  over  what  he  and  his  mother  had 
been  to  one  another.  All  was  very  much  altered. 
The  house  had  shot  out  two  great  bay  windows, 
which  looked  like  prominent  eyes  in  spectacles  ; 
some  of  the  old  thatch  was  gone,  and  slates,  or 
worse,  corrugated  iron,  had  been  put  up  over  the 
outhouses  ;  and  in  the  fields  that  had  been  sold  as 
a  separate  lot,  a  couple  of  very  new  red-brick  villas 
had  lifted  their  pointed  heads.  But  the  ground 
was  the  same,  the  field  paths  and  hedges,  the  rooks 
cawed  in  their  old  voices,  and  the  labourers  had 
pleasant  affectionate  greetings  for  the  young  master 
as  they  still  called  him. 

Yes,  if  all  this  had  still  been  his  own,  and, 
above  all,  if  his  mother  had  still  watched  for  him  in 
that  porch,  he  would  have  found  it  a  different 
thing  to  go  away  ;  and  as  higher  thoughts  began  to 
come  to  him,  he  could  believe  that  perhaps  it  was 

K  2 


148 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


well  that  the  home  tie  should  be  broken,  and  that 
he  should  be  a  stranger  with  no  right  anywhere. 

Though  in  the  same  village,  it  was  like  being 
in  a  different  world,  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fraser 
treated  him  in  all  ways  as  they  would  a  gentleman 
pupil,  and  though  his  habits  and  manners  were 
quite  up  to  the  mark,  still  there  was  a  certain  stiff 
feeling  of  being  ^  company '  in  the  earlier  days,  and 
he  felt  freer  when  he  was  drinking  tea  with  Frances 
Richards,  and  being  called  on  to  admire  all  the 
new  furniture  and  little  changes  in  the  old  house 
to  which  she  had  returned.  She  was  as  hearty  and 
good-natured  and  glad  to  see  him  as  possible  ;  but 
he  could  not  help  noticing  that,  even  in  holiday 
time,  she  did  not  ask  her  sisters  to  come  and  see 
her.  It  would  have  been  natural,  and  once  or 
twice  when  he  heard  her  asked  by  visitors  if  they 
were  coming  and  she  made  an  excuse,  he  could 
not  help  fancying  that  he  knew  her  reason.  Was 
it  not  silly  of  her?  And  yet  Aline  was  Aline. 
Could  she  have  shown  any  wish  ? 

But  he  had  quite  enough  to  think  of  to  keep 
such  matters  out  of  his  mind,  for  Mr.  Fraser  was 
giving  him  much  to  read  and  think  over  in  the 
way  of  preparation,  both  in  theological  and  secular 


THOSE  AT  HOME 


149 


subjects.  He  had  to  realise  how  ignorant  he 
was,  and  to  feel  daunted  as  having  entertained 
the  idea  of  being  capable  of  teaching  others  ;  but 
he  was  thankful  for  being  encouraged  and  helped, 
and  he  certainly  grew  and  developed  much  in 
every  way  before  the  term  came  when  he  was  to 
go  to  St.  Augustine's. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR 

Seize  the  banner,  spread  its  fold, 
Seize  it  with  no  faltering  hold  ; 
Spread  its  bearings  high  and  fair, 
Let  all  see  the  cross  is  there. — Keble. 

E  is  coming.' 

'  Who  ?    What,  Edward  Bryant  ? ' 
'  Of  course.     You  have  not  seen 
him  for  three  whole  years.' 
*  No  ;  I  never  was  at  home  when  he  was,  since 
he  went  to  St.  Augustine's.' 

Aline  Millar  was  working  in  the  kindergarten 
division  of  a  great  high  school  in  London,  and 
was  now  settling  herself  and  unpacking  her  things 
for  the  holidays  in  the  room  she  shared  with 
Mabel,  who  had  just  completed  the  High  School 
course  at  Awmouth.  As  she  could  not  be  spared 
by  her  mother,  she  had  been  glad  of  an  engage- 


THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR  151 

ment  to  help  in  the  education  of  an  invalid  girl 
who  could  not  attend  the  High  School  with  her 
sisters.  They  had  both  grown  into  very  pleasant- 
looking  maidens,  with  sensible,  intelligent  faces ; 
Aline  the  prettier,  and  with  the  London  air  of 
figure  and  dress,  though  in  a  quiet,  modest  way. 
Mabel  had,  however,  something  more  thoughtful 
and  resolute  about  her  brow  and  lip. 

Aline  went  on  asking :  *  Has  he  finished  with 
his  college,  and  is  anything  settled  about  him  ?  ' 

*  He  wanted  to  go  to  the  Dominion,  because  of 
Mr.  Goodrich,  who  is  an  Archdeacon  there  now — 
yes,  and  has  been  at  home  ill — and  went  to  St. 
Augustine's.  Oh,  Eddy  was  so  glad,  but  his 
health  failed.' 

*  Don't  ramble  so,  Mab  ;  which  do  you  mean  ?  ' 

*  Both,  in  a  way.  For  they  say  Mr.  Goodrich 
must  give  up  that  horrible  cold  place,  and  all  those 
nice  fur-catching  Indians,  and  live  in  a  warmer 
climate.  And  did  you  know  that  Eddy  had  a 
bad  fit  of  bronchitis  last  winter  ? ' 

*  No,  indeed  ;  you  did  not  tell  me.' 

*  I  didn't  know  till  mamma  saw  Mrs.  Cobbold, 
Well,  the  medical  man  asked  all  sorts  of  questions, 
and  when  he  found  that  Eddy's  father,  and  a  whole 


152        THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR 


lot  of  Bryants  besides,  had  gone  into  declines,  he 
would  not  hear  of  his  going  to  a  cold  climate,  but 
said  he  might  be  perfectly  well  and  strong  in  a 
warm  one.' 

'  And  is  he  well  now  ? ' 

'  Oh,  yes,  it  was  only  bronchitis.  I  think  it  will 
end  in  his  going  to  China.  The  S.P.G.  has  a 
mission  there  near  Pekin,  and  you  know  that  is 
what  we  always  cared  about  most  of  all.' 

*  Yes,  when  you  cried  about  the  poor  babies.' 

^  I  could  cry  now  !  Do  you  know  the  Roman 
Catholics  try  to  save  them,  and  the  nuns  buy 
almost  a  cart  load  of  these  poor  things,  often  dead 
or  dying  !  And  those  horrid  people  fancy  they 
do  it  to  make  charms  with  their  eyes,  and  really 
have  fallen  on  the  nuns  and  murdered  them.' 

'  They  have  murdered  our  own  mission  people 
too.    I  do  not  think  China  is  a  very  safe  mission.' 

'  One  does  not  go  to  be  safe,'  said  Mabel,  with 
a  light  in  her  eyes. 

'  No,'  said  Aline.  '  If  the  call  comes  one  has 
to  hate  one's  own  life  also,  rather  than  not  help  to 
widen  the  kingdom  and  brighten  those  dark 
places.  But  what  does  Mrs.  Cobbold  say  to  this 
notion  ? ' 


THE  ST,  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR  153 


^  Mrs.  Cobbold  fancies  it  is  all  Hong  Kong, 
where  you  can  be  as  safe  as  here — with  the  China- 
men in  petticoats  and  long  tails,  such  as  sometimes 
come  in  the  corn  ships,  or,  once,  when  some  tea 
came  in/ 

*  And  were  you  fired  with  a  passion  for  "  the 
native  "  as  at  the  ruins  ? ' 

^  Not  exactly ;  though  I  did  long  to  know 
whether  the  poor  fellows,  with  their  sloping  eyes, 
had  been  taught  any  Christianity ;  but  Mr. 
Andrews  said  he  was  afraid  it  was  just  the  con- 
trary/ 

*  He  used  to  be  Edward's  friend/ 

*  Yes ;  he  gets  letters  from  him,  and  comes  and 
tells  us  about  them.  Do  you  know,  Allie,  I  have 
been  telling  my  pupil  Linda  Norwood  all  the 
old  missionary  stories  Edward  used  to  tell  us,  and 
getting  her  to  do  something  for  them,  and  it 
has  made  such  a  difference  to  her.  She  never 
seemed  much  to  care  for  or  be  interested  in  any- 
thing, but  now  she  takes  in  her  own  Gospel 
Messenger^  with  her  own  money,  and  tries  to 
work  for  anything  that  is  specially  wanted  or 
to  collect  money  for  it.  She  is  so  eager  to  get 
her   Messenger,  and  to  look  out  for  anything 


154        THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR 


that  is  to  be  done.  When  the  Zenana  Mission 
ladies  asked  for  scrap-books  or  dolls,  or 
Christmas  cards  for  the  children,  it  was  a  perfect 
delight/ 

'  Indeed,  it  must  have  been  a  real  blessing  to 
her,  as  truly,  Mab,  I  think  the  dwelling  on  the  idea 
has  been  to  both  of  us,  making  us  feel  how  great 
the  Church  is,  and  that  the  lengthening  of  her 
cords  and  strengthening  of  her  stakes  depends 
on  the  prayer  and  work  of  the  small  as  well  as  the 
great.  I  am  sure  it  both  opened  our  eyes  and 
helped  to  train  our  characters.' 

*  You  have  been  in  the  way  of  many  missionary 
meetings.' 

*  I  have  gone  to  those  at  the  Church  House 
when  I  could  ;  and  I  will  tell  you  one  thing  that  your 
pupil  reminded  me  of  A  lady  at  the  Women's 
Association  said  that,  many  years  ago,  a  good,  kind 
mother  told  her  laughingly  of  her  children  showing 
her  two  silk-worms,  and  saying,  This  one  is  to 
spin  for  home  missions,  and  this  one  for  foreign 
missions."  Of  course  the  profits  of  the  silk-worms 
did  not  amount  to  anything ;  but  one  of  those 
children  died  as  one  of  the  foremost  and  most 
helpful  in  a  mission  in  India,  and  his  sister  went 


THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR  155 


out  to  work  in  the  same  field.  So  the  silk-worms 
did  their  work.' 

'  In  the  bent  of  the  children's  minds/  said 
Mabel. 

'That  is  the  benefit  of  the  trifles  we  might 
despise — in  the  interest  and  bent  they  give.' 

'  I  wonder  if  it  is  training  for  anything,  and 
whether  we  shall  ever  go  out  and  help  ? '  said 
Mabel. 

*  What  we  have  to  do  now  is  to  go  down  to 
mamma/  returned  Aline,  smiling.  '  She  must  be 
waiting  for  us  for  her  tea.' 

With  a  little  shame  at  having  talked  so  long 
and  kept  Aline  from  her,  they  went  downstairs  ; 
but  Mrs.  Millar  was  a  happy  and  unselfish  woman, 
and  received  them  by  saying  that  she  knew  that 
they  would  have  a  great  deal  to  say  to  each  other, 
and  had  therefore  waited  to  order  in  the  little  hot 
supper  she  had  prepared  for  Aline  with  her  tea.  Still 
they  had  much  to  talk  over,  about  Frances  and  her 
babies  at  Langbridge,  and  how  her  husband  was 
prospering  and  growing  quite  round-backed  and 
sunburnt  with  bicycling  to  his  patients  ;  and  then 
the  conversation  drifted  back  to  Edward  Bryant, 
and  how,  when  he  was  staying  with  Mr.  Fraser,  he 


156        THE  ST,  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR 


was  very  friendly,  but  he  looked  so  much  the 
gentleman  that  Frances  and  Lawrence  Richards 
thought  it  quite  a  pity  that  he  should  be  wasted  on 
the  strange  people  in  the  colonies  and  heathen 
parts. 

'  But  that  was  the  very  thing  he  got  his  train- 
ing for/  said  Aline.    ^  He  could  not  go  back  now/ 

'  So  I  told  his  mother/  said  Mrs.  Millar,  '  when 
she  was  sighing  over  his  not  being  a  clergyman 
here  in  England.' 

'  Ah,  you  have  not  told  us  of  Mrs.  Cobbold, 
and  how  she  gets  on.' 

*  Very  fairly,  I  should  say,'  replied  the  mother. 
^  She  is  grown  quite  stout,  and  is  always  hand- 
somely dressed.' 

'And  talks  in  a  voice  just  like  old  Mr. 
Cobbold/  said  Mabel,  with  a  little  sound  of  imita- 
tion. 

*  Not  always/  said  the  mother;  'only  when 
she  is  supporting  his  dignity  and  telling  his 
opinions.' 

'  Poor  thing  !  Do  you  think  she  is  happy  ? ' 
asked  Aline. 

'  On  the  whole.  I  am  sure  he  is  less  hard  to 
please  than  the  old  gentleman  at  Langbridge  ;  but 


THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR  157 


when  she  sits  with  me  and  lets  herself  talk 
with  pride  and  delight  of  her  son,  I  sometimes 
doubt  whether  she  would  not  have  been  happier 
if  she  had  continued  to  depend  only  on  her 
Eddy/ 

*  Oh !  but  then  he  could  not  have  left  her  to  go 
out/  cried  Mabel. 

*  She  might  have  been  led  to  go  with  him, 
said  Aline,  *  like  the  wives,  sisters—yes,  and  mothers 
— I  have  been  hearing  of/ 

'Yes,'  said  Mrs.  Millar,  'and  I  confess  I  do 
believe  that  though  my  old  friend  has,  in  one  point 
of  view,  done  well  for  herself,  I  have  sometimes 
thought  that  she  would  have  been  happier  if  she 
had  let  herself  be  lifted  up  to  Edward's  sphere  of 
thought  and  interests.' 

'  Ah ! '  said  Mabel,  laughing,  '  I  hear  her 
pouring  out  to  mother  all  her  bothers  about  Mr. 
Cobbold  and  servants  and  butchers,  and  how 
upset  he  is,  when  he  is  anxious  about  his 
securities.  You  really  do  dread  a  visit  from  her, 
don't  you,  mamma  ?  ' 

*  Impertinent  child  !  Poor  woman,  she  is  of  a 
low-spirited  nature,  or  else  the  old  gentleman  at 
the  farm  broke  her  down,  for   she  is  always 


158        THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR 


nothing  if  not  dejected/  said  Mrs.  Millar,  who 
was  always  kind-hearted. 

'  But/  said  Aline,  '  you  feel  that  to  care  about 
mission  work  and  to  sympathize  with  Edward 
would  be  more  for  her  happiness  than  to  fret  over 
Mr.  Cobbold's  tempers,  his  securities,  and  his 
dinners.' 

'  Well,  my  dear,  whatever  takes  us  out  of  our- 
selves is  good  for  us.' 

The  girls  both  felt  that  their  mother  was 
unconsciously  an  instance  in  point.  Her  hands 
were  busy  over  a  knitted  vest  to  be  sent  out  in  a 
box  for  one  of  the  North  Canadian  Missions,  and 
Mabel  had  thoroughly  infected  her  with  zeal  for 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  as  indeed  the  bundles  of 
magazines  on  the  side  table  might  testify. 

She  did  not  look  well,  and  Aline  began  to  be 
anxious  about  some  indications  that  Mabel  had 
been  too  young  to  notice  ;  but  at  the  same  time 
she  looked  happier  and  brighter  than  she  had  been 
since  the  loss  of  her  little  boys  and  her  husband. 
She  seemed  to  feel  a  consolation  in  her  devotional 
books,  and  in  the  early  Celebrations  at  the  neigh- 
bouring church,  which  she  certainly  had  not  done 
before  though  she  had  always  been  a  good,  con- 


THE  ST.  AUGUSTINE  SCHOLAR  159 


scientious  woman,  taking  religion  as  part  of  her 
duty,  but  not  as  her  consolation.  Now,  however, 
the  interest  in  the  Faith,  awakened  by  sympathy 
with  her  little  daughter,  seemed  to  be  spreading 
into  all  her  life  and  soul. 


CHAPTER  XV 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 

Let  not  my  parting  tears 
Grieve  you  too  much,  for  every  drop  I  shed 
Is  only  filmed  with  grief,  whilst  all  beside 
Comes  from  the  fount  of  joy. — Jackson. 

T  was  at  an  early  Celebration  that  the 
Millar  party  first  met  Edward  Bryant, 
who  came  out  of  church  behind  them, 
and  spoke — his  voice  first  recalling  to 
Aline  that  it  was  indeed  himself,  his  air  was  so 
much  altered  by  a  certain  refinement  of  counte- 
nance and  appearance,  though  there  was  nothing 
clerical  about  his  dress.  Mrs.  Millar  and  Mabel, 
who  had  seen  him  at  intervals  more  lately,  were 
not  struck,  as  the  alteration  had  been  gradual  and 
insensible ;  but  it  was  a  most  hearty  and  affectionate 
greeting,  and  he  was  delighted  to  find  that  Aline 
was  at  home. 


EDWARD  BRYANT  CAME  OUT  OF  CHURCH  BEHIND 

THEM.  p.  i6o. 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


i6i 


^  Will  you  come  to  tea,  and  bring  your  mother, 
and  tell  us  about  what  you  are  doing  ? '  said  Mrs. 
Millar.    '  Then  Mabel  will  be  at  home.' 

^  At  five  ? '  he  asked. 

'  Oh,  yes ;  we  have  adopted  town  habits,'  said 
Mrs.  Millar,  for  the  old  hours  at  Langbridge  had 
been  of  the  farmer  kind.  *  We  shall  all  like  to 
have  a  coze  over  your  plans.  Tell  your  mother 
we  shall  be  glad  to  see  her.' 

Edward,  however,  appeared  without  his  mother. 
*  Mr.  Cobbold  has  sent  home  some  fish,  and  if  she 
goes  out,  he  will  be  sure  to  think  it  neglected,'  he 
said,  with  a  smile,  as  he  shook  hands  with  Mrs. 
Millar.  ^  She  said  you  would  be  sure  to  understand.' 

Nobody  was  able  to  be  very  sorry.  They  all 
knew  that  they  should  talk  much  more  freely 
without  Mrs.  Cobbold,  who  would  be  sure  to 
reduce  them  to  discussing  the  failures  of  her  last 
^  girls,'  and  the  extortion  of  the  butcher,  and  Mr. 
Cobbold's  indignation  at  the  treatment  of  an  old 
customer. 

*  So  you  have  seen  Archdeacon  Goodrich  ?  ' 

*  Yes  ;  he  stayed  three  nights  at  St.  Augustine's, 
and  preached  and  talked  to  us.  It  was  a  joy  to 
us  all.' 

L 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


'  Did  he  know  you  again  ? ' 

^  No  ;  I  was  only  thirteen  years  old  when 
he  left  the  old  Grammar  School.  But  I  think 
Mr.  .Fraser  had  mentioned  me,  for  he  asked  for 
me,  and  spoke  very  kindly  to  me.  He  said 
he  was  rejoiced  to  find  that  the  books  he  had 
lent  me  had  borne  fruit,  and  he  hoped  to  see 
more  of  me.  I  don't  think  I  should  have  known 
him  ;  he  went  away  quite  a  young  man,  and 
now  ' 

*  Nearly  ten  years  ago,'  said  Aline. 

*  He  has  a  long  beard,  and  is  quite  grizzled, 
and  his  complexion  has  a  hard  weather- 
stained  look ;  but  still,  his  head  is  grand,  all 
the  more  because  his  temples  are  bald,  but  his 
eyes  are — I  can't  describe  the  nobleness  of  his 
expression.' 

Mabel  clasped  her  hands,  while  her  mother 
said  : 

'  Has  he  not  been  ill  ?  ' 

^  Yes  ;  and  the  doctors  tell  him  that  it  would  be 
absolute  suicide  to  expose  himself  to  another 
northern  winter.  He  has  been  at  death's  door 
with  pneumonia,  and  is  still  lame  from  rheumatism. 
It  is  plain  that  he  has  suffered  terribly.' 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


'  Ah,  there  is  a  real  cost ! '  said  Mabel. 

*  It  was  worth  the  cost,'  said  Edward.  '  It 
made  our  hearts  burn  within  us  when  he  told  us 
of  the  Red  Indian  chief  coming  and  laying  his  rifle 
and  war  insignia  down  before  his  baptism,  and 
declaring  that  he  renounced  feuds  and  enmity 
together,  and  gave  himself  and  his  people  to  Christ 
his  Lord  and  Master.  Ah !  and  when  we  heard 
of  the  thankfulness  of  the  poor  English  mother,  in 
the  heart  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  country,  who  had  not 
seen  an  English  clergyman  for  twelve  years,  when 
he  drew  up  his  sleigh  at  her  little  fort — he  half- 
frozen  himself — and  how  she  rubbed  him  and 
restored  him,  and  could  hardly  speak  for  tears 
of  welcome  and  thankfulness.  She  had  taught  her 
children  so  well,  too,  and  prepared  them  for  baptism. 
They  all  knew  their  Bible,  and  all  that  the  un- 
baptized  could  repeat  of  their  Catechism. 

'  What  was  the  father  ? ' 

*A  big  rough  man  who  had  had  hardly  any 
schooling,  but  believed  implicitly  in  his  good  little 
wife,  and  had  let  her  teach  him.  They  had  a  quiet 
Eucharist  together  and  now  they  will  never  be  left 
so  long.  Archdeacon  Goodrich  arranged  for  their 
being  visited  every  few  weeks,  and  the  man  was 

L  2 


164 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


putting  up  a  log  hut  as  the  beginning  of  what  will 
some  day  be  a  church.' 

*  And  that  is  the  work  the  great  Shepherd  is 
doing/  said  Mabel.  '  Fetching  His  sheep  and 
lambs  in  from  every  mountain  where  they  have 
wandered.* 

^  But  is  not  the  Archdeacon  very  sorry  not  to 
go  back  ?  '  asked  Aline. 

^  Pie  said  he  could  break  his  heart  over  it,  but 
for  knowing  that  it  must  be  ordained  by  a  Higher 
Will  than  his,  and  being  thankful  not  to  be  abso- 
lutely set  aside  from  work.  He  is  told  that  there 
is  no  reason  he  should  not  be  effective  in  a  warm 
or  even  a  temperate  climate,  if  he  will  take  reason- 
able care  of  himself  So  his  mind  is  turning  to 
North  China.' 

'  I  thought  that  Chinese  missions  had  been 
chiefly  carried  out  by  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  ?  '  said  Aline. 

^  In  the  South  and  about  Hong  Kong,  yes. 
There  has  been  a  great  work  carried  on  there  by 
the  Bishops  of  Victoria,  who  had  Hong  Kong  to 
work  from.  The  S.P.G.  was  not  able  to  begin 
seriously  till  1878,  but  a  famine  relief  fund,  and  the 
opening  of  the  ports,  has  been  much  in  our  favour, 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


165 


though  we  are  still  called  "  foreign  devils  "  ;  but 
we  have  made  some  way/ 

'  There  is  a  Bishop  of  North  China,  I  see/  said 
Mabel,  '  and  it  includes  Pekin/ 

'  You  always  were  up  in  Chinese  matters,'  said 
her  sister,  ^  I  believe  it  is  your  favourite  mission/ 

^  The  first  I  began  to  care  about,'  said  Mabel  ; 
^and  there  are  most  interesting  books  about  it. 
There  were  those  glorious  girls,  the  martyrs  of 
Kucheng/ 

*  Yes,  their  history  always  struck  me  very 
much,'  said  Aline,  *  they  were  so  perfectly  bright 
and  happy,  full  of  merriment  and  yet  devoted,  and 
ready  and  willing  in  a  moment  to  die.' 

* "  Girls,  girls,  we  are  going  together  !  "  as  one 
of  the  party  called  out,'  said  Mabel. 

*  And  now  their  mother  has  offered  her  work 
in  the  same  track,'  said  Aline.  *  It  has  been  a 
noble  family ! ' 

*  What  success  has  there  been  ? '  asked  Mrs. 
Millar. 

'  In  Pekin  I  believe  the  clergy  have  had  to 
attend  chiefly  to  the  English  families  settled 
there,'  said  Edward  ;  '  but  the  country  districts 
have  several  stations  which  are  centres  for  native 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


converts.  But  the  bitter  enmity  of  the  Empress — 
a  thorough  old  conservative  as  to  religion  and 
customs — retards  matters  a  good  deal,  and  men 
are  very  much  wanted.  Archdeacon  Goodrich 
has  been  in  correspondence  with  the  Bishop,  and 
I  think  he  would  like  me  to  go  with  him.* 

*  You  are  not  fit  for  a  cold  climate,'  said  Mrs. 
Millar. 

^  So  the  doctor  said  ;  though  I  am  very  strong. 
But  ft  will  be  better  that  I  should  be  there  to  look 
after  the  Archdeacon  ;  and  it  is  your  favourite 
mission,  Mabel.' 

'  Yes  ;  I  am  very  glad  you  are  going.' 

^  Mabel  would  like  to  bespeak  a  little  Chinese 
baby  girl,  if  you  dig  her  up  alive,'  said  Aline, 
laughing. 

With  which  Mabel,  responding  merrily,  went 
off  to  see  that  the  muffins  were  being  toasted 
and  buttered.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  afternoon, 
all  the  party  were  in  such  full  sympathy  with  one 
another ;  and  it  was  with  a  sigh  that  Edward  rose 
to  return  in  time  for  Mr.  Cobbold's  late  dinner. 

On  the  whole  Mr.  Cobbold  was  very  civil  to 
him,  always  in  public,  where  he  seemed  to  like  to 
show  him  as  a  very  creditable  connection,  though 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


167 


without  entirely  giving  up  sneers  at  home  upon 
the  poverty  of  a  clergyman  in  comparison  with  a 
rising  merchant.  The  clergy  of  the  town  noticed 
the  St.  Augustine's  student,  and  asked  him  to 
spend  evenings  with  them,  and  once,  when  an 
intended  lecturer  failed,  he  was  asked  to  expound 
a  missionary  magic  lantern  to  a  school.  The  sub- 
ject happened  to  be  North  America,  a  part  of 
the  world  of  which  he  had  heard  a  good  deal.  Aline 
and  Mabel  helped  him  to  arrange  the  slides  before- 
hand, and,  though  he  felt  very  shy,  they  had  a 
good  deal  of  merriment  over  the  feathered  Indians, 
the  great  snow-shoes,  the  fur-clad  squaws,  and  the 
chrysalis-papooses,  also  the  teams  of  dogs  with 
curling  tails,  and  the  flying  sleighs. 

Bishop  Whipple's  reminiscences  were  a  fund 
of  anecdotes,  not  S.P.G.  indeed,  but  most  in- 
teresting ;  and  the  three  admired  the  nobleness 
and  laughed  over  the  quaint  adventures  as  they 
had  in  old  times  laughed  over  Mabel  and  her 
*  natives.' 

*  Ah,  if  all  the  audience  were  like  you  ! '  sighed 
Edward.  ^  But  think  of  the  ages  of  them,  and  the 
sleepy  faces,  or  the  tittering  if  I  hesitate  or  make 
a  slip.    Then  I  shall  get  worse  and  break  down.' 


i68 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


'  No  such  thing/  said  Aline ;  ^  it  will  just  give 
you  confidence/ 

*  I  wish  it  was  you  who  had  to  do  it/  he 
finished,  with  a  gesture  of  hiding  his  face. 

But  the  lecture  proved  a  great  success.  There 
was  no  lack  of  fluency,  nor  of  good  sense  and 
depth,  and,  what  was  perhaps  equally  needful,  of 
humour,  and  the  applause  was  great.  Edward 
said  that  he  had  been  speaking  to  the  eyes  of 
Aline  and  Mabel  all  the  time,  though  they  knew 
most  of  it  before ;  but  the  expression  on  those 
appreciative  faces  was,  as  he  said,  everything  to 
him,  and  gave  him  power  to  go  on.  So  he  told 
Aline  as  he  was  walking  home  with  her  the  next 
day,  while  Mabel  was  gone  to  her  pupil,  and  Aline 
answered,  as  she  had  often  done  before,  with : 
*  Nonsense  !  how  can  you  be  so  silly  ?  ^ 

*  As  if  you  did  not  know  what  you  have  always 
been  to  me.' 

'  Come,  Edward,  this  is  of  no  use.  It  would 
only  hinder  you  from  better  things.' 

*You  know  how  it  helps  to  lift  me  to  the 
better  things.' 

*  Don't !  The  only  good  thing  for  you,  pledged 
as  you  are,  is  to  put  me  out  of  your  head  entirely.' 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


^  Could  I  ?  Or,  if  I  could,  would  it  not  be  a 
miserable  isolation,  cutting  me  off  from  all  the 
home  feeling  and  sympathy  that  I  need  to 
strengthen  and  help  me  ?  ' 

'  There  is  mother,'  faltered  Aline. 

*  Yes,  through  you,  and  carried  along  with  you, 
Aline.  I  do  not  ask  you  for  more  now,  I  could 
not' 

'  No.  I  know  that  you  were  warned  that  this 
was  the  worst  thing  one  of  you  students  could 
do/ 

*  To  get  engaged  to  some  inferior  person  who 
would  drag  him  down  ?  Yes,  I  know  ;  but  you 
can't  call  yourself  an  inferior  person.  You  always 
were  above  me,  and  you  have  been  educated,  and 
are  going  on — you  know  it,  and  can't  deny  it — in 
the  way  to  lift  me  up.' 

Aline  had  tried,  on  the  back  of  a  sob,  to  inter- 
pose at  the  *  above  me  '  and  the  *  educated  ' ;  and  at 
the  ^  lift  me  up  '  she  murmured  :  '  Oh,  no — not 
worthy — dragging  down  ' ;  but  it  was  incoherent. 
And  Edward  went  on,  ^  I  am  not  daring  to  ask  for 
an  engagement.  Everything  is  undecided.  I  may 
be  an  utter  failure  ;  I  may  be  led  away  by  the 
temptations  they  say  there  are  sure  to  be ;  but  all 


17  o 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


I  do  long  for  is  that  you  will  let  me  look  to  you  as 
my  home  guiding-star,  with  the  light  of  sympathy, 
yes,  more,  the  light  caught  from  Heaven.  And 
then,  some  day,  perhaps,  when  my  work  is  fixed, 
and  all  grown  possible,  that  you  might  come  and 
share  it,  and  forward  it  as  noble  women  have 
done/ 

Aline's  eyes  were  full  of  tears,  and  she  did  not 
utter  her  answer.  Indeed,  they  were  on  the  door- 
step of  her  own  house,  and  they  went  in  together, 
and  could  not  help  going  straight  to  Mrs.  Millar 
and  confessing,  in  broken  words,  half  asking 
her  pardon  and  consent  for  what  they  had  done. 
She  had  seen  what  was  inevitable,  and  had  made 
up  her  mind  to  it,  though  she  said  she  could  not 
consent  to  their  calling  it  a  regular  engagement. 
Neither  of  them  must  be  bound.  Either  might 
see  reason  to  break  it  off,  without  feeling  it 
treacherous  to  do  so  ;  but  *  You  will  let  us  hear  of 
you  constantly,  Edward,'  she  said,  and  she  did  not 
specify  to  whom  the  letters  were  to  be  written,  nor 
contradict  him  when  he  turned  to  Aline  and 
entreated  her  to  give  him  full  tidings  from  home, 
letting  him  know  all  she  was  doing,  and  keeping 
his  heart  up,  as  he  said. 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


171 


The  young  and  happy,  yes,  and  those  who  have 
made  such  a  beginning  themselves,  can  well  under- 
stand all  that  the  two  said  to  one  another.  There 
are  sisters,  too,  who  may  know  the  exceeding  joy 
of  Mabel  when  she  was  allowed  to  understand,  she 
who  had  been  too  innocent  to  put  any  con- 
struction on  Edward's  attentions  to  the  family,  nay, 
who  had  resented  any  possibility  of  earthly  love, 
as  spoiling  the  exalted  character  of  a  missionary. 

If  it  had  been  for  anybody  but  Aline  she  should 
have  thought  so,  she  declared  ;  but,  for  Aline  to 
have  the  chance  of  the  honour  of  the  work,  oh  !  it 
was  too  much  joy. 

Assuredly  that  joyfulness  was  shown  in  all  her 
doings.  She  was  the  sunshine  of  her  mother's 
house,  as  well  as  of  her  invalid  pupil's  room,  and 
kept  the  girl  interested  and  occupied  by  every- 
thing around,  instead  of  listlessly  pining  for  variety 
and  ranging  from  novel  to  novel.  Mabel  had 
managed  to  infuse  a  soul  into  everything  she  did, 
whether  for  home  or  abroad,  her  own  improvement 
or  amusement.  All  was  for  something  or  some- 
body, and  that  was  the  charm.  So,  too,  it  was  with 
the  Sunday-school  class.  There  was  no  teacher 
that  they  loved  like  Miss  Mab.    It  was  joy  to  be 


172 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM 


promoted  to  her  class,  and  the  children  waited  at 
the  end  of  her  street  to  escort  her  to  school  and 
hold  her  hand.  Their  missionary  boxes  would  all 
have  gone  for  the  North  China  Mission  if  she  would 
have  taken  the  whole.  And  when,  once,  Edward 
contrived  to  send  home  a  box  of  Chinese  trifles  to 
be  divided  between  her  pupils  and  Aline's,  how 
great  was  the  ecstasy  over  the  queer  boxes,  baskets, 
toys  and  dolls ! 

Aline  was  not  quite  so  merry ;  but  always 
cheerful,  and,  happily  patient,  endeavouring  in  all 
ways  to  prepare  herself — soul,  mind,  and  body — for 
the  great  duties  to  which  she  had  thus  been  called. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

TO  THE  FLOWERY  LAND 
Sing  hey,  sing  ho,  for  the  Land  of  Flowers. — La  Motte  Fouqu^. 

HE  parting  was  over.  Edward  Bryant 
was  suddenly  summoned  at  last  to 
meet  Archdeacon  Goodrich  in  London, 
make  the  final  preparations  there,  and 
start  with  him  and  two  other  clergy  for  the  Chinese 
mission.  There  was  too  much  hurry  at  the  last  for 
a  quarter  of  the  things  that  each  had  to  say.  His 
mother  cried  bitterly,  and  said  she  should  never  see 
him  again,  and  that  he  would  be  murdered  by  the 
Chinese  for  a  *  foreign  devil '  ;  and  when  he  said 
such  attacks  were  over,  but  that  if  such  a  thing  did 
happen,  it  would  be  martyrdom,  she  cried  the  more- 
Mr.  Cobbold  tried  to  console  her  by  saying  the 
'  young  chap '  was  much  more  likely  to  make  his 
fortune  out  of  John  Chinaman,  ^  if  he  were  not  a 
fool/    Many  of  your  missionaries  did,  and  took 


174 


TO  THE '  FLO  WER  Y  LAND 


care '  to  live  on  the  fat  of  the  land  ' ;  and  perhaps  the 
boy  would  be  wiser  when  he  got  out  there.  And  he 
was  to  take  care  to  tell  in  his  letters  the  prices  of 
tea  of  different  kinds  on  the  spot,  to  be  compared 
with  those  in  England. 

Mabel  was  full  of  transport  at  the  realisation  of 
all  her  dreams.  Edward  really  going  out,  and 
Aline  likely  to  follow — it  was  too  delightful.  She 
ad  possessed  herself  of  a  Chinese  Bible,  and  had 
tried  to  identify  and  illuminate  some  texts  ;  but 
only  one  was  ready,  which  Edward  promised  to 
keep  carefully  and  preciously,  though  he  abstained 
from  promising  to  put  it  up  till  he  should  ascertain 
from  some  competent  Chinese  scholar  whether  it 
were  really  correct  and  suitable. 

Edward's  old  friend  Andrews  was  thriving  in 
his  own  department,  and  doing  his  duty  there. 
He  was  quite  willing  to  respect  and  admire  his 
friend's  devotion  and  enterprise,  though  he  did  not 
feel  called  on  to  join  in  it  personally  ;  but  he  gave  a 
subscription,  large  for  his  means,  to  the  branch  of 
the  mission,  and  desired  to  know  if  there  were  any 
way  in  which  he  could  help,  or,  perhaps,  any  comforts 
he  could  procure  and  send  out.  He  even  promised, 
on  the  receipt  of  a  telegram,  to  come  to  Southampton 
and  see  Bryant  off. 


TO  THE  FLOWERY  LAND 


175 


Mrs.  Millar  gave  a  precious  little  book  of  MS. 
prayers  and  hymns,  her  own  favourites.  She  also 
gave  a  mother's  kiss  and  blessing  ;  but  she  said  the 
less  as  AHne's  holidays  had  just  ended,  and  she  would 
go  up  to  London  at  the  same  time  with  Edward. 

Yet  this  privilege  did  not  amount  to  much, 
for  the  carriage  was  full,  and  they  could  only 
sit  next  to  each  other  and  feel  each  other's 
presence  ;  and  they  arrived  in  a  scramble,  where 
Miss  Millar  was  instantly  claimed  by  some  of  the 
other  teachers  at  her  school,  and  swept  off  by  them 
with  scarcely  a  word  ;  while  Archdeacon  Goodrich, 
disembarking  also,  and  seeing  Edward,  pounced  on 
him  to  introduce  him  to  another  of  the  party. 

But,  after  all,  what  could  conscious  last  words 
be,  when  much  had  already  passed  without  extra 
emotion  ?  Each  turned  away  from  the  other  into 
the  whirl  of  practical  life,  but  with  resolute  hearts, 
fixed  upon  present  duty  and  trusting  to  be  made 
patient  and  strong  to  wait  either  in  the  field  or 
beside  the  tent. 

And  strong  resolute  attention  kept  Aline  to  the 
little  lessons  and  training  sports  of  the  children  ; 
through  the  days  when  she  knew  that  Edward  was 
joining  in  a  parting  service  at  Canterbury,  and 
when  he  was  embarking  at  Southampton.  Mr. 


176  TO  THE  FLOWERY  LAND 


Andrews  came  to  tell  her  how  he  had  seen  the  party 
off,  and  she  was  very  thankful  for  his  account.  He 
ended  it  with  :  *  It  almost  made  me  wish  I  was  going 
too/ 

*  Doing  one's  duty  at  home  is  an  acceptable 
thing/  said  Aline,  making  an  effort  not  to  utter 
comparisons. 

It  was  a  time  of  waiting,  indeed,  though 
cheered  from  the  first  by  the  letters  that  in  these 
days  make  separation  so  much  less  complete  and 
painful  than  formerly.  Mrs.  Millar  and  her 
daughters  knew  when  Edward  passed  Gibraltar, 
and  how  he  had  borne  the  voyage  and  liked  his 
companions,  feeling  one  with  them  ;  and,  by-and- 
by,  when  he  arrived  at  Hong  Kong,  and  the  beings 
w^ith  pig-tails,  long  petticoats,  and  narrow  eyes 
began  to  come  upon  him  as  realities,  while  be- 
wildering pigeon-English  sounded  in  his  ears.  He 
was  a  good  letter  writer,  and  his  descriptions  were 
a  delight,  more  especially  when,  after  landing  at 
Shanghai  and  being  introduced  to  the  mission 
staff,  the  party  arrived  at  Pekin,  with  the 
wonderful  walls,  forty  feet  wide  at  the  top,  and 
apparently  bristling  with  cannon,  all  of  which 
turned  out  to  be  merely  painted  likenesses. 


TO  THE  FLOWERY  LAND 


177 


It  was  all  a  bewilderment  (he  wrote),  the  central 
street  so  wide  and  roomy,  but  crowded  with  carts, 
camels,  donkeys,  and  passengers,  who  looked,  to 
unaccustomed  eyes,  like  a  peep  show,  with  a  cause- 
way in  the  middle,  and  mudholes  on  either  side 
causing  horrible  smells,  while  the  borders  were 
brilliant  shops  and  stalls,  their  fronts  most  elabo- 
rately carved,  and  kept  by  owners  in  rich  brocaded 
silks,  looking  plump  and  contented,  and  bargaining 
in  a  leisurely,  though  intensely  shrewd,  manner. 

Horrors  there  were  in  the  background,  acres  of 
hovels  utterly  wretched  and  miserable,  yet  crowded 
to  the  last  degree,  and  filthy,  as  indeed  dirt  and 
foulness  spread  everywhere,  even  to  the  more 
ornamental  parts  of  the  city ;  and  walking,  to 
a  European,  was  a  difficult  matter  where  every 
dry  place  was  thronged  with  the  interminable 
swarms  of  people.  Carts  went  round  in  the 
morning,  not  of  scavengers,  but  to  collect  the 
bodies  of  infants  too  young  for  honourable 
sepulture. 

The  ancient  hatred  and  distrust  of  foreigners 
had,  however,  been  at  that  time  much  mitigated  in 
Pekin,  and  there  was  little  or  no  fear  of  violence  to 
strangers,  as  there  was  familiarity  from  the  presence 

M 


178 


TO  THE  FLOWERY  LAND 


of  the  British  Legation,  and  considerable  profit  to 
be  reaped  from  travellers. 

Moreover,  there  were  not  only  English  services 
at  the  Legation,  but  a  settlement  of  clergy,  with 
schools  for  the  boys  and  girls,  who  were  more  easily 
won  among  the  poor  than  among  the  wealthy. 
There  was  a  hospital  too,  under  the  care  of  a  lady, 
and  an  orphanage ;  a  really  impressed  Chinese 
congregation,  and  a  staff  of  clergy  and  nurses, 
very  insufficient,  but  still  making  a  resting  place. 

Tientsin,  near  a  harbour,  was,  however,  the 
chief  nucleus  of  the  mission,  and  here  Edward 
Bryant  was  to  be  placed  to  assist  in  the  schools  as 
far  as  he  could,  while  getting  conversant  with  the 
language  of  the  Northern  Province.  He  had 
already  learned  a  good  deal  of  the  written  language, 
which  is  fortunately  the  same  all  over  the  Celestial 
Empire  ;  but  every  province  differs  widely  from  the 
next  in  speech,  so  that  the  spoken  tongue  has  to 
be  separately  acquired.  Aline  and  Mabel  actually 
discovered  the  meaning  of  some  of  Edward's 
widely  marked  hieroglyphics  before  they  looked  at 
the  key  sent  with  them  ;  but  he  added  that  he 
was  told  that  to  speak  them  as  he  had  been  taught  in 
Hong  Kong  would  be  incomprehensible  at  Tientsin. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 
The  prettiest  pebble  will  not  buy  a  pearl. — J.  E.  Jackson. 

>ORE  than  three  years  had  passed,  and 
Aline  and  Mabel  continued  to  feel 
their  life  chiefly  centred  in  those  letters 
from  the  Flowery  Land  which  came 
regularly,  and  after  being  passed  from  Aline  to  her 
mother  and  Mabel,  were  read  to  Mrs.  Cobbold,  who 
listened  with  increasing  eagerness,  and  was  de- 
lighted to  know  that  her  son  had  been  ordained  a 
deacon,  and  was  conducting  service  in  Chinese  at 
various  mountain  villages  in  turn. 

Anxiety  was,  however,  pressing  upon  Mabel, 
as  the  house-daughter.  She  could  not  but  per- 
ceive that  her  mother  was  slowly  but  surely 
declining  in  health,  and  less  and  less  capable  of 

M  2 


i8o 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


exertion.  She  vainly  endeavoured  to  persuade  her 
to  see  a  doctor,  and  at  last  thought  it  well  to  write 
such  a  full  account  to  her  sister  Frances  as  brought 
her  and  her  husband  Lawrence  Richards  on  the  plea 
of  a  visit. 

Lawrence  only  stayed  for  a  day,  but  that  was 
enough  to  show  him  the  truth,  and  to  cause  him  to 
prepare  his  wife  and  her  sister  for  the  knowledge 
that  their  mother  was  suffering  from  a  fatal  disease, 
and  had  not  many  months  at  the  utmost  to  live. 

She  had  suspected  this  herself  already,  and 
was  relieved  not  to  have  to  give  the  first  warning 
of  the  truth  to  her  devoted  Mabel,  who  heard 
more  peacefully  than  had  been  expected,  having 
been  prepared  by  intuition.  Indeed,  the  mother 
and  daughter  had  come  to  understand  each  other 
so  well,  and  to  have  such  inner  sympathy,  that  the 
shock  was  not  so  great  to  her  as  it  was  to  Frances, 
though  it  involved  to  her  the  entire  overthrow  of 
home  and  of  life. 

They  both  wrote  to  Aline,  whose  summer 
vacation  was  not  far  distant,  and  who  undertook 
to  arrange  for  giving  up  her  post  at  the  same  time. 
There  was  indeed  a  farther  reason  for  resigning 
her  appointment.    It  had  come  to  light  that  a 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


i8i 


small  investment  made  by  Edward  Bryant's  father, 
which  had  hitherto  been  a  dead  loss,  and  one  of 
the  stones  which  had  weighted  the  family  down, 
had  become  profitable ;  and  though  there  were  not 
many  shares,  there  were  enough  to  secure  a  certain 
income.  Mr.  Cobbold  strongly  advised  him  to 
come  home,  and  put  matters  in  order,  while  he 
not  only  felt  it  right  to  attend  to  his  mother's 
entreaties,  but  believed  that  he  would  now  be 
justified  in  marrying,  since  a  maintenance  for  a 
wife  would  be  secure  ;  and,  besides,  there  was  an 
opening  for  Aline  to  be  useful  in  the  little  town  in 
China  where  his  lot  had  been  cast.  His  Bishop 
and  Archdeacon  gave  him  leave  of  absence,  and 
after  waiting  for  his  ordination  as  a  priest,  he 
would  be  at  home  in  about  six  months'  time. 

^  Thank  God,'  said  Mrs.  Millar.  *  Whether  I 
live  to  see  him  or  not,  I  shall  know  that  all  is  well 
for  my  Aline's  future.' 

^  So,'  said  the  other  mother,  *  my  son  could 
have  done  much  better  for  himself ;  but  that  Miss 
Aline  was  always  after  him.' 

This  came  to  Frances'  ears,  and  was  repeated 
with  great  indignation.  Indeed  she  thought  it  was 
a  poor  look-out  for  Aline  to  go  abroad  as  a  poor 


l82 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


missionar3^'s  wife,  be  expected  to  teach  those  stupid 
Chinese  women,  and  be  looked  down  upon  by  the 
fine  ladies  at  the  Legation,  and  the  smart  merchants' 
wives.    And  what  was  to  become  of  Mabel  ? 

*  I  have  no  fears  for  Mabel,'  said  the  mother. 

'  Well,  to  be  sure,  Mabel  may  be  always  sure 
of  a  home  with  us,  when  she  wants  a  rest.  She 
can  easily  get  employment  as  a  governess,  unless 
that  young  Andrews  means  to  make  up  to  her,  as 
I  sometimes  think  he  does,  they  are  so  thick  over 
Bryant's  letters.  And,  by  what  I  hear,  he  has  a 
good  salary,  besides  what  is  to  come  to  him  from 
his  father.' 

So  far  Mrs.  Richards'  suspicions  were  right 
though  James  Andrews,  being  a  modest  and 
diffident  man,  had  not  thought  it  well  to  disturb 
Mabel's  mind  with  the  great  question  during  this 
time  of  watching  over  her  mother's  decline,  though 
once,  when  he  found  Mrs.  Millar  alone,  he  could 
not  help  telling  her  of  his  wishes. 

'  My  dear  boy,'  she  said,  *  I  could  not  wish  my 
Mab  to  be  in  better,  more  God-fearing  hands.  If 
you  can  win  her,  be  certain  that  you  have  my 
blessing.' 

*  And  do  you  think  I  may  hope  } ' 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


183 


'  1  cannot  tell/  was  the  answer,  after  a  little 
pause.    '  You  must  try  for  yourself.' 

She  said  no  more,  for  Aline  returned,  as  the 
daughters  never  left  their  mother  alone  for  more 
than  a  few  minutes  at  a  time. 

Tenderly  they  watched,  those  two,  for  Frances 
had  perforce  to  go  home  to  her  husband  and 
children.  At  length,  after  days  going  by  so 
quietly  that  they  often  forgot  what  was  hanging 
over  them,  the  end  came  suddenly.  Mabel 
awoke  to  miss  the  breathing  near  her,  and  found 
that  it  had  ceased,  and  the  gentle,  motherly  soul 
was  gone. 

Then  came  the  inevitable  confusion  and  bustle, 
telegraphing  to  Langbridge,  finding  Mrs.  Cobbold 
with  them  at  once,  and  her  tender  pitifulness 
being  such  that  they  were  always  forgetting  and 
calling  her  by  her  old  familiar  name,  and  when 
they  begged  her  pardon,  she  did  not  seem  to  have 
been  hurt. 

The  clergyman  had  been  to  see  them,  and  as 
Aline  was  coming  downstairs,  she  saw  a  parley  of 
the  maid  with  a  young  clerical  figure,  and  at  first 
was  surprised  that  a  curate  should  have  been  sent, 
and  was  shrinking  back,  when  a  voice  struck  her, 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


a  pair  of  eyes  met  her  own,  and,  in  another 
moment,  she  was  in  Edward's  arms.  He  had 
heard  that  his  mother  was  with  the  daughters  and 
had  followed  her ;  and  after  a  few  seconds  of 
broken  words — Aline  felt  forced  to  relieve  him  and 
lead  the  way  to  the  darkened  room  where,  in  the 
midst  of  a  scatter  of  black  materials,  his  mother, 
Frances,  and  Mabel  sat  contriving  in  the  sad  way 
of  a  house  of  mourning. 

The  three  sisters  felt  it  due  to  the  mother  and 
son  to  leave  them  alone  together,  and  as  they 
stood  on  the  stairs  Aline  said :  '  Oh,  Mabel, 
I  feel  as  if  it  was  horrid  of  me  that  my  heart 
should  give  such  a  bound.  I  must  go  and  tell 
mother.' 

When,  in  their  turn,  Edward  and  Mrs.  Cobbold 
felt  that  the  girls  should  be  left  no  longer  to  them- 
selves, Aline  was  still  kneeling  by  the  bed  where 
that  silent  figure  lay,  spent  and  still  after  the  storm 
of  tears  that  had  come  to  relieve  her. 

All  arrangements  were  in  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Richards,  and  Frances  attended  to  most  household 
matters  ;  but  the  constant  visits  of  Edward  were  an 
infinite  comfort  and  support  to  Aline  and  Mabel 
during  those  few  sad  days,  and  he  went  with  them 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


185 


when  they  laid  their  mother  to  rest  in  Langbridge 
Churchyard. 

The  night  was  spent  at  Langbridge,  Mr. 
Fraser  gladly  taking  in  the  young  clergyman.  And 
there  was  time  the  next  day  for  a  walk  with  Aline 
to  review  the  thoughts  and  aspirations  connected 
with  the  scenes  of  their  childhood,  Mabel  mean- 
while letting  herself  be  the  victim  and  plaything  of 
the  small  nephew  and  niece  who  considered 
Auntie  Mab  as  their  property. 

*  It  was  just  here,'  s^d  Aline,  *  at  the  church- 
yard gate  that  you  stood  singing  "  Salvation,  oh 
salvation,"  and  said  you  would  be  a  missionary, 
and  Frances  laughed  at  you,  and  asked  if  you 
meant  that,  or  a  photographer  ! ' 

^  I  might  have  made  a  better  photographer.' 

*  But  you  were  in  earnest  ? ' 

'  Ye-es,  then  I  was  ;  but  I  wavered  a  good  deal. 
There,  under  that  hedge,  when  dear  little  Mab  sat 
preaching  to  a  congregation  of  dolls,  how  vexed  I 
was  with  her  for  bringing  lost  purposes  back  to 
me.' 

*  Mab  has  never  swerved,'  said  Aline.  *  She 
has  worked  and  saved  always,  from  pure  love  of 
the  Gospel  and  the  Master,  and  pity  for  the 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


heathen.  I  am  sure  that,  if  it  can  be  managed,  she 
will  go  out  with  us/ 

'She  would  be  a  most  valuable  helper,'  said 

Edward.    *  It  shall  be  managed,  if  .   But  did  I 

not  hear  something  about  Andrews  ?  There  could 
not  be  a  better  fellow.' 

*  Oh,  yes,  I  know  ;  I  believe  he  spoke  to  my 
mother,  and  Frances  will  be  sure  to  put  a  great 
influence  on  Mab  in  his  favour  ;  but  I  do  not  think 
she  will  give  in.' 

*  No  one  knows  what^love  will  do  in  the  way  of 
changing  intentions.' 

Aline  smiled  and  shook  her  head,  though  she 
allowed  that  Mr.  Andrews  was  a  very  nice  youth, 
very  steady  and  well  principled,  and  that  Mabel 
always  liked  to  talk  over  Edward's  letters  with 
him,  and  to  exchange  missionary  magazines  with 
him  ;  but,  as  she  said,  he  took  them  because  he 
cared  for  Mabel  and  for  Edward  ;  she,  because  she 
cared  for  the  work. 

There  was  a  good  deal  to  be  settled  at  Lang- 
bridge  ;  and  the  house  at  Undercliff  Road  was  not 
to  be  given  up  for  six  weeks,  so  the  two  sisters 
would  return  thither  to  overlook  their  things, 
choosing  out  what  could  be  taken  with  Aline  to 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


1S7 


China,  what  would  remain  under  Mrs.  Cobbold's 
keeping,  and  what  would  be  sold.  Edward  mean- 
time would  visit  Mr.  Eraser,  the  college  at  St. 
Augustine's,  and  the  Committee  of  the  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  when  he  might, 
perhaps,  be  asked  to  act  as  a  deputation  for  a  time, 
to  stir  up  interest  in  the  mission  work.  And,  at 
any  rate,  he  would  be  occupied  for  the  chief  part 
of  his  furlough,  and  until  the  marriage,  which 
must  of  course  be  in  a  rather  short  time.  The 
Millar  family  would  each  possess  a  small  income 
out  of  their  inheritance  from  their  parents,  their 
mother's  portion,  and  their  father's  savings  ;  but  a 
fourth  part  would  go  to  the  brother  who  was 
settled  in  New  Zealand,  and  who  had  written  to 
offer  a  home  to  '  little  Mab,'  whom  he  seemed  still 
to  suppose  a  mere  child. 

But  Mabel's  mind  was  made  up  ;  and  before 
Edward  took  leave  for  his  various  journeys  in 
England  she  had  gravely  and  seriously  laid  before 
him  and  Aline  her  request  to  accompany  them, 
and  to  assist  in  the  mission  work. 

*  You  are  sure  that  it  is  your  real  purpose  ? '  said 
Edward. 

*  It  has  been  my  most  earnest  wish  ever  since 


i88 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


I  was  old  enough  to  know  about  anything/  she 
answered.  ^  You  remember  that  sermon,  Edward  ? ' 

*  Do  I  not  ?  '  was  his  answer. 

'  And  all  the  stories  you  used  to  tell  me,  about 
the  sacred  monkeys,  and  the  car  of  Juggernauth, 
and  the  widows.' 

*  Indeed,  I  do,  and  how  crude  and  monstrous 
some  of  them  must  have  been  ! ' 

*  How  little  we  understood  that  it  was  just  the 
seed  growing  up,'  said  Aline. 

^  WelV  continued  Mabel,  '  I  always  wished  it 
and  made  schemes  for  it,  and  as  I  grew  older, 
every  geography  lesson  and  book  of  travels  seemed 
to  strengthen  the  thoughts,  though  they  were  only 
air  castles  at  first,  but  then  came  texts  in  the  Bible, 
"  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains,"  and  "  How 
shall  they  speak,  except  they  be  sent  ? "  and  all 
the  rest,  more  than  I  can  go  over  ;  but  you  know 
them,  Edward,  and  I  have  wished  and  wished,  and 
read  and  read,  and  wondered  if  God  would  take 
me  if  I  dedicated  myself,  and  whether  I  ought.  I 
tried  to  put  it  away  while  dear  mother  lived,  but  I 
think  she  knew  and  guessed,  Edward.  I  do  believe 
it  would  have  been  the  same  with  me  even  if  you 
had  stayed  at  home,  but  now — now  the  whole  way 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


does  seem  opened/  She  had  spoken  eagerly  ;  but 
her  voice  here  seemed  choked,  and  the  tears 
ghstened  in  her  eyes — as,  indeed,  they  did  in 
Edward's. 

*  Dear  child — dear  Mabel,  I  am  thankful  that 
there  should  have  been  such  a  blessing  on  our 
childish  dreams  and  purposes.  But  I  think  you 
ought  to  remember  what  I  have  told  Aline,  and 
she  is  willing  to  consider,  as  my  wife,  that  this 
Chinese  mission  is  one  of  more  danger  than  most, 
or  indeed  any,  not  from  climate  or  disease,  but 
from  the  fanatic  risings  of  the  populace,  which  the 
mandarins  seem  less  and  less  able  or  willing  to 
prevent  and  punish,  but  which  are  specially 
dangerous  to  women.' 

'  I  know,  I  have  read.  They  have  horrid 
fancies  about  the  poor  rescued  babies.  But, 
Edward,  you  would  not  hinder  any  one  from  our 
Master's  work  for  fear  of  the  martyr's  crown  ' 

'  No,  indeed,  Mabel ;  it  is  only  that  it  is  right 
you  should  know  the  risk — the  earthly  risk,  I 
mean — "  Whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose 
it." ' 

'  Yes,  you  run  the  risk  daily  yourself,  and  are 
willing  for  Aline.    You  will  take  me,  Edward  ? ' 


IQO 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


'  Let  us  ofifer  our  prayers  for  acceptance — that 
the  desire  may  be  brought  to  effect,  as  Mr.  Good- 
rich taught  me  to  pray  thirteen  years  ago/ 

They  all  knelt  and  prayed,  uplifted,  as  it  were, 
above  common  life  ;  but  the  prose  of  the  under- 
taking had  yet  to  come.  Edward  had  to  go  to 
London  for  himself,  and  there  would  announce 
his  intended  marriage,  and  propose  Mabel  Millar 
as  an  accredited  teacher  to  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Women's 
Mission  Association  ;  and  she  would  have  to 
present  herself  at  the  office  in  London  to  be 
approved  and  accepted.  She  said  she  did  not 
need  a  salary,  but  he  said  it  was  necessary  that 
she  should  be  authorised  and  recognised  as  one 
sent  forth  by  the  Church  of  England  ;  and,  besides 
that,  supplies  of  books  and  other  requisites  might 
be  obtained  in  case  of  need. 

Before  this,  however,  Mabel  had  to  undergo 
what  she  had  been  led  to  expect,  but  which  was 
more  trying  than  she  had  anticipated — the  offer 
from  James  Andrews. 

She  had  not  realised  how  much  he  loved  her, 
nor,  indeed,  how  sweet  his  devotion  was  to  her. 
She  did  like  him  very  much,  and  if  her  mind  had 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


191 


not  been  otherwise  engrossed,  conscious  love  would 
have  sprung  up  in  response  long  ago,  and  when 
she  perceived  the  pain  she  gave  him  by  her  refusal, 
and  his  grief  and  horror  of  the  Chinese  cruelties, 
of  which  he,  too,  had  read  with  dismay,  she  could 
hardly  endure  to  inflict  so  much  pain.  Besides, 
as  he  said,  ^  Mabel,  think  of  the  blessing  you  would 
be  to  me  and  my  home.  Hoping  for  you,  and 
looking  for  you,  has  lighted  me  up  all  these 
years.  Your  dear  mother  liked  me  and  trusted 
me ;  and  you  would  be  free  to  do  all  the  good 
you  wished,  here  and  elsewhere,  if  only  you 
would  let  me  make  you  happy,  and  be  the  joy  of 
my  life.' 

^  Oh,  do  not — do  not  make  it  hard  for  me.  I 
have  put  my  hand  to  the  plough,  I  cannot  look 
back.' 

*  It  is  hard,  then  ?  You  are  not  pledged  ?  Only, 
if  you  had  not  spoken — would  you — will  you — not 
think  if  you  do  not  love  me  after  all  ? ' 

*  No,  no,  no  !  This  is  what  my  whole  life  has 
been  meant  for.  I  am  sorry .  to  pain  you,  very 
sorry  ;  but  it  cannot  be.' 

^  And  you  can  prefer  those  dull,  brutal  Chinese 
to  ' 


192 


SADNESS  AND  JOY 


'  No/  she  broke  in.  '  It  is  my  Master's  work 
and  call  ! ' 

And  it  was  easier  not  to  be  shaken  by  Frances' 
remonstrances — half  affectionate,  half  worldly  ;  but 
at  last  all  this  was  over,  and  the  mission  party  had 
set  forth  on  a  journey,  which  may  be  passed  over, 
being  all  by  steamer  and  railway  till  they  arrived 
at  Tientsin,  a  city  looking  out  on  the  beautiful 
land-locked  harbour  of  Chefoo,  and  with  a  con- 
tinually increasing  settlement  of  Europeans. 
Their  place  of  residence,  the  name  of  which  meant 
the  ^  Bower  of  Bliss,'  was  about  twenty  miles  off 
on  the  hills,  and  thither  they  were  conveyed,  the 
ladies  in  closed  sedan  chairs,  Edward  on  a 
jinriksha. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

WELCOME 

Welcome  to  danger's  hour, 
Short  greeting  serves  the  time  of  strife. 

T  was  a  pretty  village,  lying  on  the 
side  of  a  steep  hill  covered  with 
bamboos  and  flowering  trees.  There 
was  a  narrow  lane,  with  a  brick  wall  on 
either  side,  and  a  door  opened  into  a  court- 
yard, with  a  fish-pond  and  artificial  rockery,  ap- 
proached by  a  frail  bridge  with  a  zigzag  railing, 
with  gay  flowers  planted  all  round  ;  roonns  with  cane- 
latticed  windows,  and  ribbed  roofs  with  fantastic 
tiles,  eaves  and  ridges  bordered  it.  And  when  the 
three  travellers  had  been  carried  up  in  open  chairs 
by  large-hatted,  long-robed  Chinamen,  they  were 
received  at  the  door  by  their  old  friend  Archdeacon 
Goodrich  (in  a  long  cassock,  looking  very  English) ; 

N 


194 


WELCOME 


by  an  English  lady  (in  a  somewhat  loose  wrapping 
dress),  and  by  two  unmistakable  Chinese,  man  and 
woman. 

The  lady.  Miss  Waring,  held  out  her  arms  and 
embraced  the  two  weary  arrivals  with  the  most 
eager  joy.  She  had  been  spared  from  the  dis- 
pensary and  school  in  Tientsin  to  make  ready 
the  house  w^th  the  help  of  the  two  Christian 
Chinese,  whom  Edward  was  greeting  as  old  friends, 
almost  as  warmly  as  the  Archdeacon. 

'  I  do  not  know  whether  we  have  met  before,' 
he  said,  as  the  bride  was  presented  to  him,  and  he 
warmly  pressed  her  hand  ;  '  but  here  we  all  meet  as 
old  friends,  especially  when  you  come  from  Lang- 
bridge.  And,  truly,  I  am  glad  to  welcome  you,'  he 
added,  next  shaking  hands  with  Mabel,  '  you  will 
be  a  great  reinforcement.' 

^  It  has  been  the  longing  of  my  life,'  she 
answered,  blushing. 

^  We  shall  find  plenty  for  you  to  do,'  said  Miss 
Waring.  '  Here  you  see  is  Loo,  as  we  call  her — a  part 
of  her  Christian  Chinese  name — who  will  be  glad 
to  help  you.' 

*  My  Christian  sister,'  said  Aline,  holding  out 
her  hand,  while  Mabel  ventured  on  the  word  or  two 


WELCOME 


195 


of  Chinese  greeting  that  Edward  had  taught  her, 
and  which  evidently  gave  great  pleasure. 

These  two  were  to  wait  on  them,  as,  in  fact, 
they  had  been  Edward^s  servants  previously ;  and 
the  house  had  been  given  to  the  mission  by  a 
Chinese  Christian.  There  was  a  good  deal  more 
of  court  and  garden  behind,  laid  out  in  the  same 
taste,  so  that,  as  Mabel  said,  it  was  like  living  in  a 
magnified  tea-cup  ;  but  at  present  they  were  taken 
into  the  rooms  with  bamboo  supports,  and  low 
table  and  cane  chairs,  to  wash  off  their  dust,  and 
enjoy  their  tea,  in  tiny  cups  brought  by  Loo.  She 
was  a  Tartar,  and  had  never  had  pinched  feet,  but 
moved  about  in  thick  soles  ;  and  both  she  and  her 
husband  understood  a  little  English,  enough  to 
comprehend  and  to  reply  in  that  strange  dialect 
known  as  pigeon-English. 

The  rooms  had  been  attended  to  by  the  friends 
at  the  mission,  and  had  an  amount  of  home  com- 
fort that  Aline  and  Mabel  declared  made  them  quite 
ashamed  ;  but  the  permanent  fixtures  had  a  good 
deal  of  the  elaborate  beauty  and  taste  of  the 
Chinese,  and  the  view  from  the  curiously  latticed 
window  and  the  garden  was  exquisite.  Blossom- 
ing trees  were  near  at  hand,  but  a  vista  was 

N  2 


196 


WELCOME 


opened  in  them,  showing  the  blue  water  of  the 
land-locked  harbour  of  Tientsin,  the  frill,  or 
fan-like,  sails  here  and  there  of  junks  cruising 
in  it,  and  the  smoky  feather  of  an  entering 
steamer. 

*  Much  too  like  home  ! '  said  Aline. 

*  Ah,'  said  Miss  Waring,  *  before  long  you  will 
love  it  as  your  communication  and  protector/ 

That  evening  was  spent  in  hearing  the  latest 
news  of  the  place.  The  Chinese  monosyllabic 
name  meant  the  '  Bower  of  Bliss,'  and  had  been 
adopted  from  an  inn  round  which  the  village  had 
grown  up,  and  which  numbered  about  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  of  whom  at  least  a  hundred  were  bap- 
tized Christians,  more  Tartar  than  genuine  Chinese. 
Many  more  were  willing  to  listen,  as  Edward  had 
already  found  ;  but  they,  for  the  most  part,  only  did 
so  intellectually,  and  were  satisfied  to  say  :  ^You 
have  your  sublime  religion,  I  have  my  sublime 
religion.'  No  fresh  converts  had  begged  for 
baptism  in  his  locality  during  Edward's  absence, 
and  when  he  inquired  after  one  of  his  own,  a  young 
man  of  much  promise,  he  was  answered,  half  sadly, 
half  triumphantly,  that  James  Chang  had  sealed 
his  faith. 


WELCOME 


197 


'  How  ?    They    did    not    dare  ? '  asked 

Edward,  not  ending  his  sentence. 

'  Not  avowedly  for  his  faith/  said  the  Arch- 
deacon ;  *  but,  poor  lad,  he  refused  to  help  his  father 
in  that  nefarious  wayside  gambling  with  dice  that 
goes  on  at  their  inn  in  the  town,  and  stood  out 
against  all  commands  or  inducements  with  :  "  How 
should  I  do  this  great  wickedness  and  sin  against 
God  ?  "  till  he  was  actually  beaten  to  death— calling 
upon  his  Master  to  forgive  his  father,  even  like  St. 
Stephen/ 

Edward  hid  his  face  in  his  hands,  between 
thankfulness  and  sorrow,  as  Mabel  gasped  :  '  Even 
as  a  martyr ' ;  and  Aline  asked  whether  such  things 
were  permitted. 

*  Alas  !  yes,'  said  the  Archdeacon.  *  I  applied 
to  the  mandarin,  and  heard  that  the  father  has 
power  of  life  and  death  over  a  disobedient 
son.' 

'  Then  none  of  our  people  will  be  safe,'  said 
Aline. 

^  You  are  come  to  a  cruel  country,  Mrs. 
Bryant,'  was  the  grave  reply.  '  But,'  he  added, 
seeing  that  the  elder  sister  looked  a  little  pale,  *  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Legations  and  the  shipping 


198 


WELCOME 


in  the  port  gives  us  English  much  more  security 
and  protection  to  our  people  !  You  see  this  was  a 
legalised  murder.  If  it  were  not  for  the  old 
Empress  we  should  prosper,  but  she  is  a  regular 
intriguante^ 

^  She  cannot  stop  the  railway  ? '  said  Aline. 

*  No,  and  that  will  give  us  an  additional 
hold/ 

He  went  on  to  explain  that  there  would  be  a 
small  number  of  Europeans  connected  with  the 
railway  in  course  of  formation  who  would  be  grate- 
ful for  Mr.  Bryant's  attention,  and  there  was,  as 
said  before,  a  congregation  of  actual  Christians, 
and  there  were  women  in  various  stages  of  hearing, 
civilisation,  and  conversion,  to  whom  the  two  ladies 
would  be  invaluable  ;  and  likewise  at  the  school, 
which  was  at  present  taught  only  by  a  Christian 
man,  with  occasional  visits  from  one  of  the  staff  of 
clergy  at  Tientsin. 

To  Aline  and  Mabel  all  sounded  delightful — ^the 
fulfilling  of  all  Mabel's  dearest  hopes  ;  and  they 
were  most  eager  to  be  at  work. 

In  the  morning,  however,  they  were  still  at 
breakfast,  when  there  was  a  tremendous  noise,  partly 
from  instruments  of  all  kinds,  and  apparently 


WELCOME 


199 


playing  all  tunes  in  rivalry,  accompanied  with 
shouts,  and  up  the  lane  came  a  troop  of  Chinese, 
their  parasols  waving  above  their  broad  hats.  '  A 
deputation  to  welcome  home  Edward  Bryant,' 
explained  the  Archdeacon  ;  and  Edward,  going  out 
in  front  in  the  courtyard,  was  received  with  a 
speech  from  the  foremost,  and  three  scrolls  were 
hung  up  on  the  walls,  each  covered  with  Chinese 
characters  and  containing  the  address. 

After  this,  all  the  Christians  proceeded  to  the 
church — which  was  really  one  of  the  halls  of  the 
house,  opening  into  a  court,  with  a  fountain  in  the 
midst  with  delicate  lilies,  red,  blue  and  white, 
adorning  it — an  ideal  spot  for  baptisms.  The 
sides  were  pillared  and  cloistered,  and  elaborately 
carved,  and,  within,  the  end  most  nearly  eastward 
had  been  fitted  up  for  an  altar.  Here  a 
service  of  thanksgiving  for  the  safe  arrival  of 
the  party  was  held,  in  Chinese,  which  Aline  and 
Mabel,  after  their  studies  on  the  voyage,  were 
able  to  follow  with  their  understanding  as  well 
as  in  spirit. 

Afterwards  Miss  Waring  presented  them  to 
one  or  two  of  the  women,  but  she  advised  them  not 
to  go  about  among  the  houses  or  to  the  school 


200 


WELCOME 


till  they  were  equipped  in  the  loose,  shapeless 
skirts,  and  broad-sleeved  upper  garment  of  the 
Chinese  women,  who  consider  it  as  improper 
to  wear  clothes  adapted  to  the  figure,  and  would 
be  prejudiced  against  the  *  foreign  devils.'  She 
undertook  to  have  the  needful  dresses  sent  up 
from  Tientsin.  Aline  wondered  to  see  no  cramped 
feet ;  but  she  was  told  these  were  poor  women, 
chiefly,  too,  of  Tartar  birth,  and  that  it  was  only 
the  aristocratic  ladies  whose  infants  were  put  to 
such  torture.  She  only  knew  a  few  in  the  city 
who  had  grown  up  with  feet  compressed  to  half 
their  proper  size,  and,  in  the  case  of  a  Christian 
lady,  the  wife  of  a  considerable  shop-keeper,  it  had 
been  a  bitter  struggle  to  give  up  the  practice,  and 
let  her  poor  baby  daughter  spread  her  pink  toes 
and  enjoy  life. 

^  It  could  not  have  been  worse  to  ask  a  coun- 
tess to  let  her  child  go  barefoot,'  said  Miss 
Waring. 

'  But  she  did  ? ' 

^  Oh,  yes,  in  the  end.  Her  husband,  who  has,  of 
course,  had  his  mind  enlarged,  and  is,  besides,  a 
real  Christian,  insisted  on  it,  and  she  obeyed  as  a 
duty.    He  is  a  good  man.' 


WELCOME 


20I 


^  Yes/ said  the  Archdeacon,  'John  Chinaman 
IS  hard  to  be  brought  beyond  the  merely  convinced 
stage  to  the  converted  point ;  but,  when  there,  he 
has  a  substance  in  him  that  makes  him  of  especial 
worth/ 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 
A  blessed  family  is  this, 

Assembled  in  the  bower  of  bliss. — Southey. 

HE  Bower  of  Bliss  was  well  named. 
It  was  a  very  happy  time  that  had 
thus  begun  in  the  lives  of  Aline  and 
Mabel.  The  Gospels  and  Prayer- 
books  were  printed  in  Roman  letters,  though  in 
Chinese  words,  and  this  saved  them  the  difficulty 
of  struggling  with  the  strange  Chinese  hiero- 
glyphics. A  Chinese  teacher  was  found  for  them, 
and  they  did  not  find  it  difficult  to  be  understood. 
They  went  into  the  school  with  Edward,  and 
found  rows  upon  rows  of  little  bald-headed  boys 
with  long  queues,  seated  on  the  ground  round  the 
old  Sing-Sang,  or  teacher,  and  looking  just  fit  to 


THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 


203 


be  packed  up  in  a  box,  and  sent  off  as  curiosities 
to  England. 

Girls  were  not  there,  not  being  supposed 
worth  education ;  and  till  the  ladies  came  it 
was  not  possible  to  do  much  for  them.  Even 
the  Christian  mothers,  whom  the  Kuniongs,  as 
the  ladies  were  called,  visited,  did  not  seem  to 
think  it  possible  to  bring  or  send  their  baptized 
little  girls  to  the  hall  in  the  house  which  had  been 
set  apart  for  a  girls'  school.  The  women,  whether 
Christians  or  not,  were  all  very  civil,  well  mannered, 
and  neat  in  their  persons  ;  but  it  was  difficult 
to  stir  them  out  of  any  custom,  and  unless  their 
husbands  accepted  the  Faith,  nothing  could  be 
done  with  them,  and  indeed,  the  Archdeacon,  as 
well  as  Mr.  Bryant,  recommended  that  they 
should  be  left  alone  except  in  the  way  of  kindness, 
such  as  offering  medicine  and  treatment  when  they 
were  too  poor  for  the  native  doctors  to  attend 
them.  They  were  modest,  docile,  down-trodden 
creatures,  and  could  make  and  put  on  their  own 
clothes  as  well  as  or  better  than  the  English  ladies, 
so  that  there  was  not  much  to  allure  them  with 
in  the  way  of  the  arts  of  life.  The  head-dresses  of 
those  a  little  above  want  were  elaborate  studies. 


204 


THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 


The  Christian  women  were,  however,  delightful 
to  teach  and  hold  intercourse  with.  To  them  all 
was  now  new  life  and  joy,  in  the  opening  of  hope 
for  another  life  and  release  from  dreary  servitude 
in  the  present.  They  were  in  general  far  from 
unintelligent,  and  listened  eagerly  when  the  new- 
comers were  able  to  teach  them,  and  their  behaviour 
in  church  was  always  most  devout,  and  there  was 
reason  to  think  that,  with  most,  it  went  beneath 
the  docile  and  mechanical  surface. 

Of  the  men  there  was  less  to  say,  so  far  as  the 
sisters  were  concerned.  Edward  spent  much  of 
his  time  in  discussions  in  public  and  in  private 
with  the  disciples  of  Confucius  or  of  Gautama,  who 
held  the  theory  of  morality,  but  lacked  the  motive 
power  to  apply  it  to  their  lives  ;  and  in  most  cases 
had  an  undercurrent  of  national  conceit  which 
despised  the  foreigner,  and  even  if  the  loathing  of 
him,  and  all  belonging  to  him,  was  overcome,  they 
could  go  no  further  than  believing  that  his  religion 
might  be  good  for  him,  even  raise  him  to  heights 
above  themselves,  but  that  theirs  was  the  one  for 
their  own  nation,  to  be  held  as  good  and  faith- 
ful Chinese.  The  obloquy  of  a  change  to  the 
hated  and  despised  foreign  Faith  no  doubt  went 


THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 


205 


for  a  great  deal  with  them,  and  also  the  absolute 
danger  from  their  countrymen,  of  which  they 
knew  more  than  did  the  mission.  Still,  there 
were  converts,  and  these  dared  enough  to  prove 
their  sincerity  and  sterling  worth  ;  and  happy  and 
blessed  was  the  day  when  there  was  an  adult 
baptism. 

Boys  of  the  heathen  families  resorted  to  the 
school  of  the  Sing-Sang,  or  teacher,  an  old  man, 
more  than  half-convinced  at  heart,  and  not  un- 
willing to  let  the  foreigner  come  in,  take  a  class, 
and  open  their  minds  to  something  new.  Even 
the  Kuniongs  were  not  unwelcome  when  they 
came  in  with  the  missionary,  and  showed  pictures, 
even  though  the  boys  made  no  difficulty  in 
telling  them  how  much  better  were  their 
own  pictures  of  warriors,  giants,  and  dragons, 
which  certainly  had  the  advantage  in  brilliant 
colouring. 

But  the  little  girls  were  Mabel's  especial  sphere 
and  joy,  from  babyhood  upwards.  When  once  a 
Christian  mother  had  been  coaxed  to  trust  a  child  in 
the  power  of  Ma-Bee  Kuniong,  as  the  women  learnt 
to  call  her,  and  it  had  been  made  extraordinarily 
happy  with  kindergarten  sports,  pictures,  songs. 


2o6 


THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 


flowers,  and  verses,  more  little  ones  began  to  flock  in 
— Christian  and  Buddhist — boys  and  girls  alike,  till 
they  were  about  seven  years  old,  when  the  boys  of 
the  unconverted  were  carried  off*  to  the  hovel  of  old 
Sing-Sang,  or,  rather,  held  it  beneath  their  dignity 
to  listen  to  a  Kuniong.  All  of  them  loved  any 
amount  of  kindergarten  '  gifts,'  and  exercise  in  the 
drill,  the  songs  and  other  sports,  and  likewise  in 
the  Scripture  stories  that  Edward  freely  allowed 
her  to  teach  to  all.  A  short  prayer  to  the 
God  of  all  nations  began  and  ended  the  whole  ;  but 
the  little  Christians  had  some  amount  of  separate 
instruction  in  the  Faith,  and  learnt  about  their 
salvation  and  the  benefits  and  obligations  of  their 
baptism. 

All  seemed  to  Mabel  extraordinarily  alike,  both 
in  face  and  character  :  she  could  hardly  tell  one 
from  another  at  first,  except  by  their  size  and  the 
colours  of  their  dresses  ;  and  they  were  so  quiet,  so 
free  from  quarrels  or  tempers,  that  she  longed  to 
hold  them  up  as  examples  to  Sunday-school 
classes  at  home.  She  actually  did  write  letters  to 
her  friends  at  Langbridge  full  of  descriptions  of  their 
passive  charms,  and,  by-and-by,  of  their  wonder- 
ful progress.    Was  there  ever  an  eager  teacher 


THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 


207 


who  was  not  delighted  with  the  children's  pro- 
ficiency ? 

Little  ones  were,  of  course,  less  easily  dealt  with, 
and  yelled  if  touched  by  any  one  save  their  parents ; 
and  in  some  streets  of  Pekin,  and  in  many  of  the 
more  distant  villages,  there  were  shouts  against  the 
*  foreign  devils.' 

The  chief  industry  of  the  place  was  the  rearing 
of  silk-worms,  and  on  this  the  women  were  em- 
ployed.  The  eggs  were  laid  out  on  frames  made  of 
bamboo  and  the  worms  fed  with  shredded  mulberry 
leaves,  and  during  their  growth  the  English  were  not 
allowed,  even  by  the  Christians,  to  come  near  them, 
since  the  sound  of  the  foreign  voice  was  supposed 
to  agitate  them  so  as  to  be  fatal  to  their  spinning, 
nor  could  they  endure  any  close  or  noxious  smell. 
There  was  a  wild  caterpillar  besides,  which  was 
caught  on  trees,  and  produced  a  darker  cocoon, 
whence  a  coarse  kind  of  silk,  called  '  Ponga,'  was 
made,  and  women  and  children  turned  out  in 
search  of  these.  Hawkers  or  middlemen  came 
round  after  the  cocoons  had  been  spun,  and 
purchased  them,  to  be  disposed  of  afterwards  at 
Shanghai. 

Most  of  the  men  were  small  farmers  growing 


2o8 


THE  BOWER  OF  BLISS 


wheat  and  millet,  or,  in  the  valley,  rice,  also  tobacco 
At  the  various  harvests,  at  which  men,  women, 
and  children  all  turned  out  to  gather  in  the  crop, 
the  fields  were  a  gay  sight,  while  the  classes  were 
deserted. 


TT7_3riT7j:TT2_rZ_^:TT7JTT^T7_TZjrZ.TZ.rLr^ 

ooooo  -^cc  >o<x>o<XKK><><><>ooo<x>o<>o<>oa 

I 

i 

lllllliBllill, 

i 

1 

^pO<K><X><K>C>00<><XMX>0<KX><XKX><X>00<>0<X^ 

f£rLs-Lsi.s-isT.i-Lsi.rT-r2.r2^TJi^ 

CHAPTER  XX 

MABEL'S  VIEWS  REALISED 

The  little  babe  up  in  his  armes  he  bent, 
Who  with  sweet  pleasance  and  bold  blandishment 
Gan  smyle  on  them  that  rather  ought  to  weep. — Spenser. 

XCURSIONS  were  not  encouraged  by 
Edward,  who  had  a  strong  sense  of 
responsibihty  as  to  Mabel  ;  though,  as 
she  said  merrily,  there  really  was  no 
one  in  England  to  care  greatly  about  her  putting 
herself  into  danger. 

One  expedition  they  did,  however,  make.  A 
pair  of  English  travellers,  who  had  brought  a  letter 
to  Edward  from  a  friend  of  Mr.  Eraser,  and  stayed 
at  the  '  Bower  of  Bliss  '  for  some  little  time,  per- 
suaded Edward  and  his  party  to  go  with  them,  and 
a  merchant  and  his  wife,  to  the  Great  Wall,  a  jour- 
ney which  from  thence  could  be  accomplished  in 

O 


2IO  MABEL'S  VIEWS  REALISED 


a  week,  since  English  curiosity  had  led  to  the  pro- 
vision of  conveniences  for  travellers,  tolerable  roads, 
and  inns,  with  flowery  names,  where  bearers  of 
chairs  could  be  hired.  It  was  beautiful  mountainous 
country,  rocky  hills  festooned  with  lovely  creeping 
plants,  and  overhanging  precipices  ;  but  the  wall 
itself  was  a  great  disappointment,  being  only  a 
huge  stone  fence,  zig-zagging  over  hill  and  through 
dale,  and  of  its  interminable  length  there  was  no 
means  of  judging. 

On  the  journey,  however,  Mabel's  vision  was 
accomplished.  Just  outside  a  little  town,  very 
squalid,  very  poor  and  dirty,  whence  there  were 
shouts  and  a  volley  of  stones  at  the  gentlemen  who 
rode,  and  could  be  seen  to  be  foreigners,  the  ladies, 
who,  in  closed  chairs,  had  not  been  visible,  and 
whose  Chinese  dress  was  in  some  measure  a 
protection,  had  begun  to  recover  from  their 
fright,  when  a  man  was  overtaken  with  two  baskets 
hung  by  cords  from  a  yoke  over  his  shoulders. 

Thinking  they  might  contain  oranges,  the 
merchant,  Mr.  Bright,  hailed  him.  He  did  not 
seem  disposed  to  attend,  but  sulkily  went  on  his 
way,  and  suddenly  a  cry  proceeded  from  one  of 
the  baskets.    *  Kittens  to  be  drowned,'  said  the 


MABEL'S  VIEWS  REALISED 


211 


merchant  to  his  wife,  evidently  wishing  to  believe 
so  ;  but,  ^  No,  no,  it  is  a  baby,  a  poor  baby,' 
exclaimed  Aline.    '  Stop  him,  Edward,  stop  him.' 

*  You  had  much  better  remain  ignorant,  Mrs. 
Bryant,'  objected  Mr.  Bright,  riding  up  to  her. 
^  Interfering  is  a  fatal  thing.' 

*  No,  no ! '  was  Mabel's  cry  ;  '  save  it !  save  it  ! ' 
Edward  was  meantime  parleying  in  Chinese 

with  the  bearer,  who,  as  usual,  was  perfectly  civil 
and  impassive,  and  no  doubt  seeing  the  way  to 
profit,  made  known  that  he  was  employed  to  carry 
four  little  girl  infants  to  be  disposed  of  in  the 
streams  that  watered  the  paddy-field  in  the  valley. 
The  stranger  Sing-Sang  might  have  them  if  he 
liked,  for  a  certain  sum. 

The  baskets  were  opened  in  spite  of  the  pro- 
testations of  Mr.  Bright,  and  two  of  the  poor  little 
white  things  proved  to  be  quite  dead.  Another 
was  feebly  moving,  evidently  at  the  last  gasp  ;  but 
the  one  whose  cries  had  been  heard  looked  stronger, 
and  as  if  her  life  might  be  saved.  Each  little 
creature  might  be  had  for  the  price  of  five  pence  ! 

This  Edward  paid,  while  his  two  friends 
wondered  at  his  thinking  it  worth  while  to  purchase 
the  dying  child  ;  but  he  kept  it  in  his  own  arms,  with 

O  2 


212  MABEL'S  VIEWS  REALISED 


his  handkerchief  over  it,  and  gave  the  other  to 
Mabel,  who,  happily,  had  a  gourd  of  milk  procured 
at  the  inn,  and  could  soak  her  handkerchief  and 
get  a  drop  or  two  by  that  means  into  the  mouth, 
which  seemed  to  be  sustaining  to  the  tiny  creature, 
who,  however,  appeared  as  yet  to  be  so  young  as 
to  need  warmth  more  than  food,  sleeping  when 
pressed  up  in  MabeFs  arms,  while  Mabel  looked 
every  few  minutes  to  make  sure  that  she  was  alive. 

They  were  not  far  from  a  mountain  stream, 
which  descended  into  the  rice-field  below,  and 
there  spread  out  into  a  marsh.  Here  Edward 
called  a  halt,  and  taking  off  his  hat,  knelt  and 
baptized  the  infant  he  had  carried  by  the  name  of 
Mary.  There  was  just  enough  quivering  motion 
about  her  to  show  that  she  was  still  alive  at  the 
moment,  and  then  he  turned  to  Mabel  :  ^  It  will 
be  safer  thus,'  he  said.  '  What  will  you  have  her 
called  ? ' 

^Bertha,'  was  her  answer  at  once,  for  it  was 
the  name  she  had  given  to  the  mythical  babe  of 
her  old  castles  in  the  air,  in  honour  of  the  early 
Queen  of  Kent,  and  thus  her  brother-in-law  called 
the  little  one. 

'  That  was  worth  the  price,'  he  said  to  his  com- 


MABEL'S  VIEWS  REALISED  213 


panions,  as  he  mounted  again,  having  laid  the 
newly  baptized  Mary,  now  evidently  dead,  in  his 
wife's  lap.  The  answer  was  a  grunt  ;  and,  pre- 
sently, after  a  few  words  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Bright 
declared  that  to  carry  the  remains  of  the  dead 
child  was  useless  and  objectionable,  insisting  that 
it  should  not  be  done.  There  was  a  small 
Christian  station  at  the  next  halt  for  the  night, 
and  the  Bryants  wished  to  have  buried  the  ^  child 
of  God  '  there  ;  but  it  was  thought  better  not  to 
withstand  the  general  voice  and  incur  suspicion 
on  a  change  of  bearers  ;  so,  not  without  tears  from 
Aline,  a  tiny  grave  was  hollowed  out  beneath  a 
wide  spreading  tree,  and  there  the  innocent  one 
was  left,  while  her  sister  in  desertion  and  adoption 
rested  all  unconscious  on  Mabel's  bosom. 

It  was  a  great  delight  to  Mabel,  the  realisation 
of  her  childish  visions.  The  opportunity  had  been 
wanting  before,  for  the  foreign  influence  and 
Christian  leaven  of  Tientsin  and  the  neighbour- 
hood had  so  discouraged  female  infanticide,  that, 
if  carried  on  at  all,  it  was  in  secret,  so  that  in  this 
first  year  it  had  not  come  before  her.  That 
Edward  Bryant  was  equally  glad  might  be 
doubted.    He  would  have  done  the  same  in  any 


214  MABEL'S  VIEWS  REALISED 


case,  and  he  was  thankful  for  the  opportunity  of 
rescuing  and  baptizing  the  children  ;  but  Mr. 
Bright  did  not  fail  to  impress  on  him  that  it  had 
been  a  dangerous  action,  and  he  himself  had  seen 
Chinese  papers  representing  ladies  as  taking  out 
the  eyes  of  infants  to  use  them  as  magic  or  poison- 
ous ingredients,  and  this  horrible  imputation  was 
the  cause  of  the  specially  rabid  fury  directed 
against  the  Roman  Catholic  sisterhoods  ;  but 
Tientsin  and  the  neighbouring  districts  were  so 
far  civilised  and  Christianised  that  there  was  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  fanaticism  of  the  secret 
societies  would  not  affect  them  ;  and  he  saw  no 
reason  for  disturbing  his  wife  and  her  sister  in 
their  joy  at  their  achievement. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


MARTYRDOM 

Stand  up  ! — stand  up  for  Jesus  ! 

The  strife  will  not  be  long  ; 
This  day  the  noise  of  battle, 
The  next  the  victor's  song. 
To  him  that  overcometh,  ^ 

A  crown  of  life  shall  be  ; 
He  with  the  King  of  Glory 
Shall  reign  eternally. 

ITTLE  Bertha  lived  and  throve,  to 
Mabel's  pride  and  satisfaction  ;  and, 
fortunately,  she  inherited  the  serene 
impassivity  of  the  Chinese  babes,  and 
would  lie  quiet  while  Mabel  was  teaching,  or  busy 
in  any  way  over  the  small  and  large  children  who 
thronged  round  the  Kuniong  Ma-Bee,  as  they 
called  her,  and  imbibed  her  lessons  with  the 
docility  of  their  race,  and,  having  nothing  to  un- 
learn, readily  accepted  her  teaching,  learnt  to  say 


2l6 


MARTYRDOM 


prayers,  and  to  respond  and  sing  at  church  with 
more  reality,  she  declared,  than  their  contemporaries 
at  Awmouth.  Probably  it  was  so  from  the  freshness 
of  the  occupation,  and,  likewise,  from  all  not  com.ing 
as  a  matter  of  course  imposed  on  them,  but  as  an 
exceptional  privilege  possibly  involving  persecution. 

Secret  societies  were  reported  to  exist,  and  to 
have  a  mortal  abhorrence  of  foreigners,  and  dark 
deeds  had  been  done  further  south  ;  but  since  the 
occupation  of  the  ports  by  Europeans,  and  the 
commencement  of  the  railway  from  Tientsin  to 
Pekin,  there  was  not  thought  to  be  any  chance  of 
the  mischief  spreading  nearer ;  and  Christian 
villages  were  multiplying  in  the  hills  around,  and 
more  and  more  missions  were  undertaken  by 
French,  Belgians,  and  Germans. 

Early  in  the  second  winter,  a  son  was  born  to 
Edward  and  Aline,  a  powerful  rival,  they  told 
Mabel,  to  Bertha,  who  was  already  beginning  to 
toddle,  and  to  talk  in  monosyllabic  English. 

They  named  the  boy  after  his  father,  not  for- 
getting that  he  was  one  of  the  many  generations  of 
Edwards,  though  probably  he  would  never  behold 
Birkfarm,  except  in  the  photograph,  which 
Edward  fondly  cherished. 


MARTYRDOM 


217 


It  was  a  hard  winter :  ice  was  visible  in 
Chefoo  Bay,  beggars  were  found  dead  round  the 
gates  of  Pekin  and  Tientsin,  frozen  to  death  ;  and 
MabeFs  scholars  came  in  shivering  and  almost 
frost-bitten.  Houses  were  built  with  no  appliances 
for  warmth  except  pans  of  charcoal,  and  though 
the  Bryants  did  the  best  they  could  with  imported 
stoves  and  paraffin,  they  were  very  glad  of  the 
advance  of  spring  with  all  its  brilliancy  of  flowers. 

Therewith,  however,  came  reports  that  the 
more  dangerous  society  known  as  Boxers,  or  Big 
Swords,  were  afoot,  not  fanatics,  like  the  Vege- 
tarians, who  had  made  the  sudden  raid  and  slain 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  and  the  ladies  of  Kucheng, 
but  more  political  enemies,  actuated  by  hatred  of 
all  foreigners.  However,  it  seemed  like  other 
whispered  distant  reports  that  had  been  heard, 
and  was  not  much  regarded. 

Baby  Edward  was  already  teething,  too  early, 
as  Aline  thought,  and  she  wanted  to  show  him  to 
Miss  Waring,  or  to  the  matron  at  the  Tientsin 
hospital,  who  had  experience  in  infant  ailments, 
and  would  tell  her  how  to  manage  him.  Her  hus- 
band, too,  had  some  business  with  the  clergy  there, 
and  had  to  give  in  his  report ;  so,  just  after  Easter, 


2l8 


MARTYRDOM 


they  resolved  to  go  together  and  take  a  holiday  for 
two  nights.  Would  Mabel  go  with  them,  leaving 
Bertha  safely  with  the  good-natured  Loo  ? 

No ;  Mabel  was  much  too  busy.  Not  only 
could  she  not  leave  Bertha,  but  Chang  and  Ting 
too,  and  ever  so  many  more,  wanted  to  be  made 
perfect  in  the  Catechism  and  text  they  were  to  say 
when  Bry  Sing-Sang  and  Ma  Kuniong  brought 
the  European  prizes  from  Tientsin  that  the 
Awmouth  children  were  sending  to  them. 

She  came  out  to  the  door  laughing  as  she 
watched  Aline  and  baby  packed  into  a  sedan- 
chair,  and  Edward  mount  his  jinriksha  to  join  the 
railway.  The  last  sight  they  had  of  her  was 
smiling  and  holding  up  little  Bertha  to  wave 
her  hand  as  Edward  answered  to  her  from  his 
moving  throne. 

The  last  sight !  Little  they  dreamt  that  it 
was  the  last  sight.  It  was  the  next  day,  and  Aline, 
having  taken  some  pleasant  counsel  over  her  baby, 
had  just  left  him  to  sleep  under  Miss  Waring's 
care,  and  was  going  out  with  Edward  to  call  on 
Mrs.  Bright,  when  they  were  aware  of  a  dusty, 
disordered  figure,  which  they  knew  to  be  that  of 
one  of  the  Christian  peasants  whose  land  lay  on  the 


MARTYRDOM 


219 


hills  above  their  village.  Holding  out  his  hands 
as  one  in  despair,  he  sobbed  out  the  words  in 
Chinese  :  *  Big  Sword  men  !  Burst  the  village — slain 
all  there.' 

Catching  up,  but  scarce  crediting,  the  dreadful 
tidings,  ^  My  sister  ?  '  were  the  first  words. 

'Slain  !  slain  without  doubt.  Church  burnt' 
It  appeared  that  Lois  (the  wife's  Christian  name) 
had  gone  out  to  feed  her  silk-worms  at  twilight, 
and  as  she  stood  high  on  the  hill  she  could  see  the 
tumultuous  rush  into  the  village  below,  and  heard 
the  report  of  fire-arms  (a  weapon  new  in  the 
Chinese  popular  insurrections).  She  called  up  her 
husband,  but  it  was  impossible  to  do  anything 
except  to  hide  in  the  rocks  above,  hoping  that  their 
house,  which  was  a  good  deal  shaded  by  trees, 
would  not  in  the  darkness  attract  the  attention  of 
the  Boxers.  And  so  it  proved.  It  was  a  raid  ;  and 
after  the  village  had  been  plundered  and  set  on  fire, 
the  marauders  departed  over  the  hills  towards 
Pekin.  After  much  terror  and  trembling.  Mat 
resolved  on  going  down  to  see  what  had  chanced, 
since  the  fire  had  so  died  down  that  it  could  not 
disclose  him  to  any  lurking  enemy  ;  but  he  durst 
not  enter  the  village,  though  he  met  a  boy  of  one 


220 


MARTYRDOM 


of  the  heathen  families,  who  told  him,  with  tears, 
that  the  Kuniong  was  dead,  shot  down  dead  at  the 
entrance  of  the  church. 

So  far,  at  least,  was  a  consolation  that  Mabel 
had  not  been  made  captive,  to  be  in  danger  of  the 
cruel  tortures  of  savage  Chinese.  Aline,  who  had 
stood  pale  as  death,  let  her  lips  move  in  a 
moment's  thanksgiving  as  she  heard  it ;  but  no 
sound  passed  them.  Edward,  whose  friends, 
infinitely  shocked,  had  begun  to  gather  round 
him,  said  :  ^  I  must  go  at  once  and  see  how  much  of 
this  is  true,  and  ' 

Voices  arose  that  he  could  not  be  allowed  to 
go  alone,  and  two  or  three  Englishmen  and  some 
sailors  and  others  quickly  fetched  revolvers,  and 
resolved  on  going  with  him.  Archdeacon  Good- 
rich, the  friend  of  his  boyhood,  arrived  in  time  to 
be  of  the  party,  who  went  as  far  as  they  could  by 
train  and  then  walked  up  the  remainder  of  the  hill. 
It  was  one  of  the  first  attacks  made  by  the  Secret 
Society  on  Christian  settlements,  and  did  not  then 
seem  to  be  more  extensive  than  the  Vegetarian 
raid  on  Kucheng,  where  there  was  no  popular 
rising. 

The  result  of  their  journey  may  best  be  told  in 


MARTYRDOM 


221 


the  words  of  Edward  to  Aline,  when,  by-and-by,  he 
returned — white,  worn,  exhausted  and  battered. 
After  the  first  facts  had  been  confirmed,  and  he 
had  been  refreshed  enough  to  tell  more,  he  sat  by 
her  and  spoke.  ^Yes,  we  found  the  dear  one. 
We  may  be  thankful  over  her,  my  Aline,  not  only 
for  her  Crown  of  Martyrdom,  but  that  it  was  won 
without  those  horrors  we  dreaded  for  her.  She 
was  shot  down  at  the  entrance  of  the  church. 
There  was  no  mark  of  injury,  except  where  the 
bullet  had  pierced  the  forehead.  By  God's  mercy 
to  her,  those  fiends  now  use  fire-arms.  Yes,  we  can 
be  sure.  The  compound  has  been  burnt  and  de- 
stroyed ;  but  a  beam  had  fallen  over  the  doorway, 
and  under  it  she  lay  untouched,  only  her  dress  a 
little  singed,  and  her  sweet  face  as  calm  and  noble 
as  ever.' 

'  But  the  child.  Bertha  ?    You  said  ' 

'  She  is  with  good  old  Loo.  It  was  thus  :  there 
was  smoke  still  rising  from  the  houses,  and  cries, 
but  of  lamentation  not  hostility,  and  we  went  on — 
coming  to  the  ruins,  with  our  own  people  lamenting 
and  proceeding  to  find  their  dead.  I  must  tell  you 
who  are  taken  another  time.  Oh,  why  did  we  yield 
to  Mabel  and  leave  her  ? ' 


222 


MARTYRDOM 


^  No,  no ;  don't  reproach  yourself.  We  could  not 
guesSc' 

'  The  village  is,  as  you  know,  so  scattered  that 
many  escaped '  ;  and  he  mentioned  a  few  names 
dear  to  them  both.  '  Thus  it  seems  to  have  been, 
as  far  as  we  can  collect.  The  alarm  was  given  only 
just  before  the  Boxers  arrived,  about  thirty  of  them, 
with  swords  and  fire-locks,  yelling :  "  Death  to  the 
foreign  devils."  They  came  straight  on  our  com- 
pound, slaughtering  by  the  way  those  who  could  not 
escape.  The  children  were  in  school  with  Mabel.  She 
took  them  through  the  church,  putting  Bertha  into 
Loo's  arms,  and  bidding  her  send  them  off  to  the 
hills,  as  safer  than  their  houses  ;  and  she  began 
putting  them  out  at  the  farther  door,  so  that  they 
might  run  through  the  fountain  court  into  the 
garden,  and  so  escape,  telling  them  to  be  good  and 
run  away,  and  God  would  take  care  of  them. 
They  crowded  one  upon  the  other,  and  were  not 
half  gone,  alas  !  when  the  rush  of  Boxers  came  on, 
yelling  at  her,  and  waving  their  weapons.  She 
stood  in  the  doorway,  with  faithful  Joe  behind  her. 
"  Let  no  man  take  thy  crown,"  she  said ;  and,  to  the 
men  :  Let  the  poor  children  go  safe — I  am  the 
stranger."    And  at  that  moment  the  shot  was  fired, 


MARTYRDOM 


223 


and  she  fell  over  the  chair,  so  that  she  was  not 
trampled  on.  Indeed,  I  think  Joe  managed  to  draw 
her  aside,  even  as  he  was  cut  down,  for  he  lay,  barely 
living,  a  terrible  spectacle,  in  front  of  her,  and  ten 
of  the  poor  children — innocents — had  been  killed, 
there  and  in  the  court/ 

'  She  was  guarding  them.  Oh,  my  Mab,  it  was 
glorious  ;  I  wish  I  could  get  to  feel  it !  It  was  always 
what  she  held  up  as  best  of  all.  My  Mab,  my 
Mab,  my  dear  one  !    And  good  Joe  :  he  told  you  ? ' 

*  Or,  rather,  he  told  Loo  :  he  was  too  far  gone 
to  speak  when  we  came  ;  but  Loo,  with  the  child, 
had  gone  no  further  than  the  reeds  round  the  foun- 
tain which,  happily,  we  had  not  had  cut,  and  they  were 
long  enough  to  hide  her  till  the  slaughter  was  over, 
and  the  burning.  As  the  murderers  passed  on  and 
the  flames  diminished,  she  ventured  out  and  found 
her  husband  and  our  dear  one  as  I  told  you.  We  laid 
them  and  the  children  out  on  the  stones,  near 
where  the  altar  was.  The  enemy  have  done  less 
mischief  there  than  could  have  been  expected  ;  they 
did  not  understand  enough,  and  the  fire  did  not 
take  hold.  It  is  our  own  rooms  where  the  havoc 
is.  We  laid  them  there,  and  the  Archdeacon,  with 
some  of  the  faithful  ones,  have  stayed  to  watch  and 
pray  ;  but  they  made  me  go  home  to  you.    But,  to- 


224 


MARTYRDOM 


morrow,  early,  I  shall  go  up  again,  and  we  will  lay 
her  for  her  last  rest ! ' 

^  All  she  would  have  chosen.  It  was  her  own 
day  dream,'  said  the  sister,  with  sobbing  breath. 
*  What  I  do  believe  her  childish  hopes  always 
centred  in — to  give  her  life,  her  dear  life,  to  her 
Master  for  His  little  ones  was  always  what  she 
thought  most  beautiful  and  precious !  Now  she 
has  done  it,  my  sweet  sister,  and  I  ought  to  be 
glad; 

'  We  shall  be  able,  in  time,  to  think  of  her  in 
the  noble  army  of  Martyrs,'  said  Edward  :  ^  we  who 
laughed  at  her  childish  enthusiasms  ;  and,  as  the 
Archdeacon  said,  as  we  saw  the  stains  on  the  altar 
steps,  depend  upon  it,  this  is  the  seed  of  the 
Church; 

What  m.ore  shall  we  tell  ?  The  end  is  not  yet. 
Mabel  and  her  children,  and  the  other  martyrs  of 
the  '  Bower  of  Bliss,'  had  the  blessing  of  suffering 
for  their  Faith,  and  her  sister  and  brother-in-law 
are  waiting,  still  at  Tientsin,  to  resume  the  work 
that  she  has  made  dearer  than  ever. 


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boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^.  6d. 

A  story  of  life  on  the  road  in  the  time  of  Edward  the  Third,  and  of 
the  great  rising  of  the  townspeople  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds  against  the 
authorities  at  the  Abbey. 

"  Miss  Peard  should  find  her  popularity  increased  by  'The  Abbot's  Bridge.'  It 
is  a  capital  story,  vigorously  told.  "—Manchester  Guardian. 

THE  LOCKED  DESK 

3/6     With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^.  6d. 

In  this  book  Miss  Peard  has  left  the  historical  field  in  which  most  of 
her  previous  tales  for  young  people  have  lain,  giving  us  instead  a  story  of 
the  present  day,  in  which  certain  documents  in  Mrs.  Barton's  locked  desk 
play  an  important  part. 

THE  BLUE  DRAGON 

3/6     ^^^^   ^^^^   Full-page   Illustrations    by  C.   J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35.  6d. 

'*  The  Blue  Dragon  "  is  the  sign  of  an  inn  at  Chester,  in  which  city  the 
scene  of  the  story  is  laid,  in  the  discontented,  turbulent  times  that  followed 
immediately  upon  the  battle  of  Bosworth  Field. 

SCAPEGRACE  DICK 

3/6     ^ith  Four  Full-page  Illustrations.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  3^.  6d. 

A  spirited  story  of  adventure  in  England  and  the  Low  Countries  in  the 
days  of  the  Commonwealth. 

'*  A  book  for  boys,  which  will  be  read  with  equal  pleasure  by  their  sisters." 

Pall  Mall  Gazette. 


NATIONAL  society's  DEPOSITORY,  SANCTUARY,  V^ESTMINSTERc 


NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG  ^ 


BY  FRANCES  MARY  PEARD—conHnued 

PRENTICE  HUGH 

With  Six  Full-page  Illustrations.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  3^.  6d, 

**  Prentice  Hugh  "  gives  a  graphic  account  of  life  during  the  reign  of 
Edward  the  First,  mainly  in  the  cathedral  city  of  Exeter. 


TO  HORSE  AND  AWAY 

With   Five   Full-page   Illustrations   by   C.   J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^.  6d, 

The  fortunes  of  a  Royalist  family  in  the  times  of  the  Great  Civil  War 
form  the  leading  theme  of  Miss  Peard's  story,  which,  together  with  many 
adventures,  gives  a  few  graphic  scents  from  the  life  of  Charles  II.  in  his 
flight  from  Worcester  Field, 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "MADEMOISELLE  MORI"  &c. 

STEPHANIE'S  CHILDREN 

With   Five   Full-page   Illustrations    by   C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  y.  6d. 

The  story  of  the  escape  of  Stephanie,  a  young  widow  of  high  family, 
and  her  two  step-children,  from  France  during  the  Great  Revolution. 
Descriptive  also  of  the  life  led  among  the  colony  of  Emigres  in  London. 

"  Another  proof  of  the  versatility  and  charm  of  writing  that  is  already  well  known 
in  the  author  of  the  'Atelier  du  Lys,' and  will  prove  a  delightful  addition  to  a  girl's 
library."— Saturday  Review. 

NOT  ONE  OF  US 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^.  6d. 

Descriptive  of  the  career  of  a  young  schoolmistress  in  Northern  Italy, 
and  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  folk  dwelling  in  the  valley  of 
Fiorasca. 

KINSFOLK  AND  OTHERS 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  O.  Murray.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35.  6d, 

A  study  in  the  conflicting  duties  that  claim  the  obedience  of  Olive 
Garth,  who  has  been  brought  up  from  her  earliest  days  by  her  grand- 
mother, and  whose  mother  returns  from  Australia  after  an  absence  of 
seventeen  years. 


NATIONAL  society's  DEPOSITORY,  SANCTUARY,  WESTMINSTER. 


8     NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "MADEMOISELLE  MORI,"  kc— continued 

BANNING  AND  BLESSING 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35.  6d, 
Descriptive  of  country  life  on  the  confines  of  wild  Dartmoor,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  The  banning  of  Lois  Smerdon,  the 
black  witch,  at  length  comes  to  an  end,  and  so  plentiful  are  the  blessings 
which  follow  that  all  ends  happily  and  full  of  promise  for  the  future, 

A  LITTLE  STEP-DAUGHTER 

With  Six  Full-page  Illustrations.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  3J.  6^, 

**  A  Little  Step-daughter  "  is  descriptive  of  life  in  the  South  of  France 
in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

"The  anonymous  authoress  of  'Mademoiselle  Mori*  is  one  of  the  most  delightful 
of  writers  for  girls.   Her  books  are  characterised  by  a  delicacy  of  touch  rarely  met  with." 

Standard. 

BY   M.  &  0.  LEE 

Authors  of  "The  Oak  Staircase,"  "Joachim's  Spectacles,"  &c. 

MISS  COVENTRY'S  MAID 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s,  6d, 
The  identity  of  Miss  Coventry's  maid  is  a  mystery  to  all  but  her  young 
mistress,  and  the  mystery  remains  until  after  the  performance  of  She  Stoops 
to  Conquer  at  a  certain  country  house  where  Miss  Coventry  had  been 
invited  to  stay. 

ST.  DUNSTAN^S  FAIR 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s,  6d. 

St.  Dunstan's  Fair"  tells  of  the  folks  living  in  a  small  country 
village  in  Kent,  in  the  year  of  Waterloo,  of  v/hat  happened  at  the  Fair 
itself,  and  of  the  consequences  to  Nancy  Springett  and  poor  George 
Colgate. 

A  very  pretty  story  with  some  pathetic  scenes  in  it."~SATURDAY  Review. 

THE  FAMILY  COACH 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35. 

A  story  of  a  family  of  children,  their  schemes  and  plans,  and  the 
misfortunes  that  consequently  ensue,  in  the  course  of  a  journey  from 
London  to  Mentone,  where  they  are  to  meet  their  parents,  who  have  just 
returned  from  India. 

"  '  The  Family  Coach '  is  as  attractive  within  as  without. "—Times. 


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NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG  9 


BY   M.   8c   C.   LEE— continued 

GOLDHANGER  WOODS 

A  Child's  Romance.     With   Two   Full-page  Illustrations. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s. 
"  Goldhanger  Woods  "  is  the  story  of  the  romantic  adventure  of  a 
young  girl  a  hundred  years  ago  among  a  band  of  desperate  smugglers. 
"  This  '  child's  romance '  is  ingeniously  planned  and  well  executed." — Spectator. 

MRS.   DIMSDALE'S  GRANDCHILDREN 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^. 
A  large  number  of  Mrs.  Dimsdale's  grandchildren  are  gathered 
together  one  Christmas  at  the  Downs  House  in  Sussex.  Milly,  in  emula- 
tion of  Aunt  Hetty,  writes  a  play.  Difficulties  intervene,  but  everything 
comes  right  in  the  end,  and  the  story  concludes  with  an  account  of  the 
acting. 

BY   M.  BRAMSTON 

Author  of  **  A  Woman  of  Business,"  ''Rosamond  Ferrars,"  &c. 

BUGLE  MINOR 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s. 

A  story  telling  the  adventures  of  a  lad  who  joins  the  Royal  Marines  as 
bugle  boy,  and  goes  out  on  active  service  to  the  African  Coast,  where  he 
is  captured  and  carried  inland,  thore  to  meet  with  many  adventures,  and  to 
encounter  many  perils. 

"  The  story  will  be  read  with  interest  by  boys."— Leeds  Mercury. 

TOLD  BY  TWO 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d. 
The  "  two  "  are  Hester  Hazel,  the  old  nurse,  and  her  former  charge, 
Julian  Chalfont,  and  the  story  turns  upon  the  loss  of  some  valuable 
family  jewels,  and  their  ultimate  recovery  and  the  consequent  clearing  of 
Hester's  character. 

"A  story  of  engrossing  interest,  particularly  to  girls."— Record. 

THE  STORY  OF  A  CAT  AND  A  CAKE 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d. 

A  story  of  Nuremberg  in  the  time  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  containing 
adventures  and  perils  in  plenty  and  giving  some  effective  pictures  of 
city  and  country  life  in  Germany  a  couple  of  centuries  ago. 

"This  is  a  story  of  the  siege  of  Nuremberg,  told  with  the  skill  which  Miss  Bramston 
always  shows  in  her  presentations  of  life  whether  past  or  present." — Spectator. 


national  society's   depository,  SANCTUARY,  WESTMINSTER. 

A  3 


10  NATIONAL  SOCIETY'S  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  M.  BRAMSTOt^-contmued 

THEIR  FATHER'S  WRONG 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d, 

The  story  of  the  children  of  a  man  who  had  been  gradually  entangled 
in  a  dynamite  conspiracy,  and  of  their  successful  endeavour  to  repair,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  wrong  and  suffering  which  their  father's  action  had 
brought  upon  innocent  people. 

WINNING  HIS  FREEDOM 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stacey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S.  6d. 

The  lesson  taught  by  Miss  Bramston's  story  is  that  of  honesty  and 
truth  at  all  costs,  as  shown  in  the  way  in  which  young  Piers  Aylward  freed 
himself,  after  much  pain  and  trouble,  from  the  slavery  imposed  upon  him 
by  his  cowardly  cousin  Henderson. 

"  '  Winning  his  Freedom '  is  an  admirable  book  for  schoolboys."— Record. 

LOTTIE  LEVISON 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 

A  South  London  story  for  young  women  and  elder  girls,  describing 
how  Lottie  Levison  was  filled  with  a  longing  to  teach  others  the  means  of 
getting  the  happiness  which  she  had  gained  for  herself. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  DENIS 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s,  6d, 

The  adventures  in  question  are  closely  connected  with  the  rising  of  1745 
and  the  retreat  of  Prince  Charles  Edward  from  Derby  to  the  north  again. 

'  The  Adventures  of  Denis  '  is  a  charming  tale  of  1745,  which  would  delight  any  one 
to  reaa."— Saturday  Review. 

ABBY'S  DISCOVERIES 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s,  6d» 

The  story  of  the  successive  discoveries,  in  very  ordinary  matters,  that 
little  Abigail  made  in  her  earliest  years,  and  the  meaning  and  lessons 
which  they  have  for  all  those  concerned  in  bringing  up  the  young. 

"We  have  not  seen  a  better  book  about  the  feelings  and  experiences  of  childhood 
than  this  since  we  read  the  *  My  Childhood'  of  Madame  Michelet." — Spectator. 


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NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG     1 1 


BY  M.  BRAMSTOti—conimued 

A  VILLAGE  GENIUS 

A  True  Story  of  Oberammergau.  With  Two  Full-page  Illus- 
trations by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  2S, 

A  tale  of  Oberammergau  and  of  the  life  of  Rochus  Dedler,  the  com- 
poser of  the  music  that  is  still  used  at  the  Passion  Play  there. 

DANGEROUS  JEWELS 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^. 
The  opening  scenes  of  this  story  are  laid  in  Brittany  at  the  time  of  the 
great  French  Revolution,  but  the  scene  changes,  and  the  later  chapters 
give  some  vivid  descriptions  of  rough  life  in  a  lonely  hut  on  the  moorlands 
of  Devonshire. 

A  PAIR  OF  COUSINS 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s,  6d, 
The  pair  of  cousins  are  Flower  Callaway,  who  has  a  weakness  for 
appearing  interesting  and  attractive  in  the  eyes  of  others,  and  Avis 
Goldenlea,  a  healthy-minded  girl  of  real  sterling  worth. 

THE  HEROINE  OF  A  BASKET  VAN 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  2S,  6d, 

The  heroine  is  little  Phenie,  whom  her  father,  Jonathan  Redmoor, 
takes  with  him  to  travel  about  the  country  in  his  basket  van. 

"There  are  plenty  of  incidents  in  the  tale  to  interest  the  reader,  and,  as  such  a  story 
should  end,  Phenie  finds  her  right  place  after  all." — Schoolmaster. 

UNCLE  IVAN 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth 
gilt,  price  2s,  6d, 

Uncle  Ivan  gives  a  striking  and  eventful  picture  of  life  in  England 
and  Russia  about  forty  years  ago  ;  together  with  some  insight  into  the 
methods  of  the  Russian  Government  for  dealing  with  political  crime. 

SILVER  STAR  VALLEY 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^. 

In  this  story  Miss  Bramston  gives  a  striking  and  vivid  picture  of  life 
among  a  mining  community  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


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12   NATIONAL  SOCIETY'S  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  C.  R.  COLERIDGE 

Author  of  "  An  English  Squire,"     The  Girls  of  Flaxley,"  &c. 

A  BAG  OF  FARTHINGS 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 

The  **bag  of  farthings  "  contains  the  prizes  for  which  certain  boys  and 
girls  run  races,  and  some  of  the  coins  become  mingled  and  interchanged 
with  three  gold  napoleons  that  are  lost.  The  story  tells  how  Bertie  Brown 
is  wrongfully  suspected  of  theft,  and  how  at  length  he  discovers  the  real 
culprit  and  clears  his  own  character. 

"The  delicate  touch  with  which  these  pictures  are  handled  is  worthy  of  all  praise." 

Spectator. 

MAX,  FRITZ,  AND  HOB 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^. 

A  tale  of  adventure  four  hundred  years  ago,  the  scene  of  which  is  laid 
principally  at  the  Castle  of  Lindenberg,  in  the  Bavarian  highlands. 

FIFTY  POUNDS 

A  Sequel  to  "The  Green  Girls  of  Greythorpe."  With  Four 
Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35. 

A  sequel  to  '*The  Green  Girls  of  Greythorpe,"  showing  what  became 
of  the  principal  characters  in  that  story  after  they  had  grown  into  young 
men  and  young  women.  The  interest  of  the  present  story,  however,  to 
the  reader  is  in  no  sense  dependent  on  its  predecessor. 

THE  GREEN  GIRLS  OF  GREYTHORPE 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^. 

A  story  of  an  old  endowed  institution  that  has  come  under  the  notice 
of  the  Charity  Commissioners,  who  decide  that  a  reorganisation  and 
extension  of  the  school  is  necessary,  and  that  the  education  it  affords  must 
be  brought  into  harmony  with  modern  requirements. 

"The  story  is  very  prettily  told,  and,  although  quiet  in  tone,  contains  a  full  share 
of  incident  and  interest." — Standard. 

MAUD  FLORENCE  NELLIE 

Or,  Don't  Care.  With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J. 
Staniland.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35. 

A  story,  showing  how  a  veritable  scapegrace  of  a  boy,  Harry  Whittaker, 
and  his  careless  sister,  Florrie,  are  gradually  brought  to  see  the  costs 
that  may  be  entailed  by  the  spirit  which  says  **  Don't  care"  to  every 
gentle  correction  of  a  fault. 


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NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG    1 3 


BY  C.   R.  COLERIDGE— continued 

REUBEN  EVERETT 

With   Four   Full-page   Illustrations   by   C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d. 

Miss  Coleridge's  **  Reuben  Everett"  is  the  story  of  a  truant  bird,  that 
thought  his  home  a  cage,"  and  describes  the  early  days  of  training  colleges 
and  railways  in  England. 


BY  MARY  H.  DEBENHAM 

Author  of  "The  Princesses  of  Penruth,"  &c. 

SOWING  AND  HARVESTING 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^.  6d. 

A  tale  of  the  days  of  the  great  French  Revolution,  describing  the  trials 
of  an  Englishman  living  in  France  at  that  time,  and  showing  with  much 
force  the  value  of  this  country  as  a  place  of  shelter  for  the  refugees. 

"  A  book  with  a  thoroughly  good  influence,  and  one  that  will  be  prized  for  its  real 
worth."— The  Practical  Teacher. 

MY  LADY'S  SLIPPERS 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35-. 

The  story  of  a  boy  brought  up  under  the  care  of  an  old  servant  of  his 
parents,  and  how  he  came  into  possession  of  his  father's  property  through 
the  discovery  of  the  lost  family  diamonds  secreted  in  the  heels  of  a  pair  of 
his  mother's  slippers,  which  by  an  odd  chance  he  had  kept. 

"  Is  an  excellent  story  and  is  sure  to  be  popular." — Journal  of  Education. 

ONE  RED  ROSE 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35-.  6d, 

Miss  Debenham  here  gives  us  one  of  her  tender  character  sketches  in 
the  description  of  the  bringing  up  of  a  genuine  Irish  girl,  Rosaleen,  at 
Wold  Lodge,  under  her  Aunt  Alicia,  who  holds  her  house  and  grounds 
under  the  tenure  of    one  red  rose,"  paid  yearly  to  the  lord  of  the  manor. 
"  A  fascinating  character -sketch  of  a  genuinely  erratic  Irish  girl." 

St.  James's  Gazette. 

THE  LAIRD'S  LEGACY 

With   Three    Full-page    Illustrations    by    Gertrude  D. 
Hammond.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d 

Miss  Debenham's  new  story  follows  the  fortunes  of  an  exiled  Scottish 
laird,  Sir  Patrick  Maxwell,  in  the  early  years  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  gives  some  account  of  the  campaigning  in  the  Low  Countries. 


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14    NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  MARY  H.  DEBENH AM-continued 

TWO  MAIDEN  AUNTS 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s, 
The  **  Maiden  Aunts"  are  two  girls,  Angelica  and  Betty  Wyndham, 
upon  whom  (owing  to  a  series  of  misfortunes)  devolves  the  bringing  up  of 
little  Godfrey,  the  only  child  of  their  brother. 

"  A  charming  story.  .  .  .  All  the  characters  in  the  book  are  well  delineated.  .  .  . 
Miss  Debenham  may  well  be  congratulated." — St.  James's  Gazette. 


THE  MAVIS  AND  THE  MERLIN 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2^. 
In  **The  Mavis  and  the  Merlin'*  Miss  Debenham  gives  some  graphic 
pictures  of  the  storm  that  raged  in  the  Low  Countries  during  the  latter 
half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  William  the  Silent  was  making  his 
resolute  attempt  to  found  the  Dutch  Republic. 

MY  GOD-DAUGHTER 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2^. 
**  My  God-daughter''  is  little  Theodosia  (the  motherless  child  of  some 
strolling  players)  named  after  the  god-mother,  Miss  Theodosia  Cartaret. 
The  story  relates  how  the  players'  children  were  lost  and  found  again,  in 
London,  at  the  time  when  the  Gordon  Riots  were  at  their  height. 

MOOR  AND  MOSS 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.     Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S,  6d, 
A  story  of  the  Border  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  of  the 
struggles  that  were  for  ever  taking  place  there  and  the  raids  that  were 
being  made. 

"  A  story  of  high  courage  and  reckless  daring.  .  .  .  For  its  historical  interest  and 
literary  charm,  a  book  to  be  heartily  commended.  ' — Western  Antiquary. 

FOR  KING  AND  HOME 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  is,  6d, 
Of  the  rising  in  La  Vendee  during  the  great  French  Revolution,  and  of 
the  adventures  that  subsequently  befell  a  well-to-do  family  there,  together 
with  an  English  cousin  Dorothy,  who  was  staying  at  the  chateau  at  the 
time. 


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BY  MARY  H.  DEBENHAM-^^«^^««^^ 

MISTRESS  PHIL 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  O.  Murray.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 
"  Mistress  Phil "  is  Phillis  Juliana  Cheviot,  and  the  story  describes 
her  stay  at  Waltham  Cross  in  the  year  1 760,  and  the  results  that  followed 
from  it,  giving  also  some  lively  pictures  of  mail-coaches  and  highwaymen. 
"A  book  good  enough  for  anybody  to  read,  of  whatever  age." 

School  Board  Chronicle. 

FAIRMEADOWS  FARM 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stacey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S, 

The  scene  is  laid  in  Hampshire  about  the  time  of  Monmouth's  rebellion. 
The  story  gives  some  vivid  pictures  of  the  opening  at  Winchester  of  Judge 
Jeffreys'  harsh  campaign  against  the  rebels,  and  of  the  clouds  that  hung 
over  the  neighbourhood  for  a  time  in  consequence. 

"A  simple  yet  capitally  related  story,  and  the  pathetic  features  are  very  effectively 
realised."— Li  VBRPOOL  Courier. 

A  LITTLE  CANDLE 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stacey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35.  6d. 
Miss  Debenham's  story  is  concerned  with  Scotland  in  the  stormy 
days  of  Claverhouse.    The  **  Little  Candle  "is  Bride  Galbraith,  who, 
by  her  tenderness  and  grace,  softens  the  time  of  trial  and  affliction. 

ST.  HELEN'S  WELL 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations   by   C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s. 
**St.  Helen's  Well"  is  a  story  of  events  that  followed  the  rising  in 
1745  in  favour  of  the  Young  Pretender. 


BY  FREDERICK  C.  BADRICK 

Author  of*  Starwood  Hall,"    The  Spanish  Galleon,"  &c. 

THE  STONE  DOOR 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d. 

The  narrative  of  certain  strange  things  that  befell  the  brig  Talyfan  on 
her  voyage  from  Rotterdam  to  Liverpool  about  a  hundred  years  ago,  and 
of  the  way  in  which  Justice  worked  out  to  its  end. 

"A  story  full  of  stirring  incident  such  as  boys  love  to  read."— Record. 


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l6  NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  FREDERICK  C.  3ADR\CK-contmued 

THE  PUFF  OF  WIND 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  is.  6d. 

A  tale  of  harbour  and  heath  in  the  west  country  a  hundred  years  ago, 
telling  of  the  evil  treatment  of  Oliver  Mackworth  and  of  the  strange 
happening  by  means  of  vi^hich  justice  was  meted  out  to  the  guilty. 

"The  writing  shows  a  strong  sense  of  'style'  and  a  quaintness  which  touches 
originality." — Saturday  Review. 

THE  GOLDEN  BUCKLE 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stacey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^.  6d. 

A  story  of  London  in  the  year  of  the  Great  Plague,  showing  how  one 
John  Garside,  a  hosier  in  Holborn,  and  his  family  took  refuge  on  board 
Tke  Golden  Buckle^  then  lying  in  the  river. 

KING'S  FERRY 

In  the  Days  of  the  Press-gang.  With  Three  Full-page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  25.  6^. 

Concerning  a  certain  ship's  doctor  who  came  to  Weymouth  in  press- 
gang  days,  and,  staying  at  King's  Ferry,  tempted  Simon  Lydgate,  the 
ferryman,  to  do  wrong  ;  of  the  punishment  that  fell  on  Lydgate,  and  of  the 
joy  and  peace  that  followed  the  home-coming  of  his  boy,  Wat. 

JOAN'S  VICTORY 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  ix.  6^. 
Descriptive  of  a  young  woman  of  quick,  passionate  temper  and  stub- 
born purpose,  and  of  the  means  by  which  a  young  child  unconsciously 
brought  her  back  to  her  better  self  and  helped  to  soften  her  heart. 
"Admirably  detailed.    Joan  is  really  a  very  powerful  psychological  study." 

Spectator. 

PECKOVER'S  MILL 

A  Story  of  the  Great  Frost  of  1739.    With  Five  Full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth 
gilt,  price  35.  6^f. 
A  story  of  a  Jacobite  conspiracy  that  was  on  foot  in  the  time  of  the 
great  frost  of  1739,  showing  how  Silas  Peckover  came  home  from  abroad 
and  took  possession  of  the  home  of  his  forefathers,  and  how  the  sweet 
womanliness  and  honesty  of  Mistress  Ruth  influenced  him  for  good. 
**  Silas  Peckover  is  a  character  quite  worthy  of  Ainsworth."— Academy. 


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NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG     1 7 


BY  FREDERICK  C.  B/\DR\CK-conttnued 

CHRIS  DERRICK 

A  Stormy  Passage  in  a  Boy's  Life.  With  Two  Full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth 
gilt,  price  2S. 

This  story  supplies  some  lively  sketches  of  what  a  mutiny  often  led  to  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  of  the  narrow  shifts  that  smugglers 
ran  in  escaping  from  the  revenue  officers. 

STARWOOD  HALL 

A  Boy's  Adventure.  With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C. 
J.  Staniland.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 

A  stirring  story  of  how  an  honest  boy  fell  into  the  clutches  of  a  band  of 
highwaymen,  or  **  gentlemen  of  fortune,"  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 
"  The  pictures  of  rural  manners  .  .  .  strike  us  as  being  extremely  life-like." — Times. 

BY  ESME  STUART 

Author  of  *'The  Little  Brown  Girl,"  **The  Belfry  of  St.  Jude's,"  &c. 

THE  KNIGHTS  OF  ROSEMULLION 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s,  6d. 

A  romantic  picture  of  some  chivalrous  children  in  the  present  day, 
showing  how  the  mottoes  and  watchwords  of  King  Arthur's  Knights  may 
still  be  adopted  to  good  and  earnest  purpose. 

"Will  become  popular  with  both  boys  and  girls,  and  teach  them  the  principles  of 
chivalry,  and  how  they  may  be  found  in  unexpected  places,  and  applied  in  unexpected 
ways."— Church  Times. 

A  SMALL  LEGACY 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s, 

A  story  for  children,  describing  the  life  led  by  the  coastguardsmen 
and  their  families  at  St.  Alban's  Head,  and  showing  how  it  is  possible  for 
boys  and  girls  to  be  brave  and  honourable  in  all  their  actions. 

"The  picture  of  the  quaint  little  American  is  most  skilfully  drawn,  and  his  quaint 
sayings  are  throughout  very  amusing." — Educational  Times. 

A  NEST  OF  ROYALISTS 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  F.  Weedon.  Cloth 
boards,  gilt,  price  is.  6d, 

A  story  of  Blois  in  the  year  1832,  of  an  English  family— the  Merediths 
—who  went  to  live  there,  and  of  the  circumstances  under  which  they 
became  connected  with  a  Royalist  plot  against  the  rule  of  Louis  Philippe. 


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1 8   NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  ESME  STUART— conHnued 

THE  SILVER  MINE 

An  Underground  Story.    With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by 
W.  S.  Stagey.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35. 

An  account  of  life  on  the  rocky  Devonshire  coast,  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  reopen  a  disused  silver  mine,  and  a  long-standing  family  feud 
between  the  Redwoods  and  the  Pennants,  with  the  incidents  that  served 
to  bring  it  to  an  end. 

"A  very  bright,  attractive  story.  The  children  are  natural,  and  the  style  is  fresh 
and  spirited."— Journal  of  Education. 

THE  VICAR'S  TRIO 

With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35.  6d. 

The  story  of  how  young  Lord  Faulconbridge,  a  peevish  and  irritable 
boy,  is  brought  to  see  that  the  rank  and  wealth  with  which  he  has  been 
endowed  bring  with  them  equally  great  responsibilities. 

CAST  ASHORE 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35. 
It  was  little  Mona  who  was  cast  ashore  on  the  North  Lancashire 
coast,  after  the  total  wreck  of  the  ship  in  which  she  was  travelling  under 
the  care  of  her  father's  servant,  Hanson.  How  Jephtha  Toppin  afterwards 
lures  her  away,  with  a  view  to  earning  a  reward,  and  how  ^  she  is 
eventually  rescued — both  are  told  with  considerable  power  and  vividness. 

FOR  HALF-A-CROWN 

With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  3^. 

Half-a-crown  is  the  price  that  Mrs.  Chemmo,  a  retired  housekeeper 
living  in  the  cathedral  city  of  Hedderstone  on  an  annuity  from  her  former 
mistress,  pays  for  a  little  waif,  Natalia,  to  an  Italian  colony  in  a  squalid 
Portsmouth  alley. 

CARRIED  OFF 

A  Story  of  Pirate  Times.  With  Four  Full-page  Illustrations 
by  J.  F.  Weedon.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  35. 

It  is  fearless  Harry  Fenn,  the  son  of  an  Essex  yeoman  farmer,  who 
is  **  carried  off"  by  Captain  Henry  Morgan,  the  famous  buccaneer,  and 
his  men,  to  the  West  Indies,  where  the  Spanish  settlements  are  attacked, 
and  adventures  in  plenty  follow. 

"  Miss  Stuart  has  gone  with  the  times,  and  has  given  us  a  vigorous  and  well-told 
story  of  the  days  of  the  buccaneers." — Standard. 

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NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG   1 9 


BY   M.  E.  PALGRAVE 

Author  of 

•*  Under  the  Blue  Flag,"    Miles  Lambert's  Three  Chances,"  &c. 

IN  CHARGE 

A  Story  of  Rough  Times.    With  Five  Full-page  Illustrations 
by  W.  S.  Stagey.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  3^. 
A  stirring  story  of  the  days  when  smugglers  were  in  plenty  and  free- 
trading  (as  it  was  called)  was  in  full  swing. 

*'  Full  of  incident  and  interest,  very  pleasantly  told,  and  breathes  an  excellent  spirit 
throughout."— Western  Morning  News. 

A  PROMISE  KEPT 

With  Four  Full- page  Illustrations.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt, 
price  2S,  6d. 

A  story  with  a  lofty  purpose,  showing  the  amount  of  self-denial  that 
is  necessary  in  those  who  leave  their  home  and  kindred  to  engage  in 
missionary  work  in  far-off  lands. 


BY  PENELOPE  LESLIE 

Author  of  "Marjory's  White  Rat,"  &c. 

GUY'S  DUTY 

With  Frontispiece  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond.  Cloth  boards, 
gilt,  price  is. 

The  life  of  two  young  English  children  during  six  weeks  spent  in 
Bombay,  the  story  telling  how  Guy  by  carelessness  led  his  little  sister  into 
mischief,  but  finally  learnt  the  lesson  that  in  so  doing  he  had  been 
altogether  negligent  of  the  duty  that  had  been  entrusted  to  him. 

"  Is  a  pretty  little  story  The  moral  is  the  duty  of  obedience  and  faithfulness 

to  a  trust." — The  Record. 

GWEN 

With  Frontispiece  by  C.  J.  Staniland.    Cloth  boards,  gilt, 
price  IS. 

We  have  here  a  story  of  two  high-spirited  children  who  delight  in  doing 
things  which  have  been  forbidden,  and  who  are  ultimately  brought  to  a 
sense  of  their  wrong  by  the  kindly  advice  of  their  grandmother. 

"It  is  just  the  book  for  children,  and  points  an  excellent  moral."— Spectator. 

MISS  BARTON'S  BICYCLE 

With  Frontispiece  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond.  Cloth 
boards,  gilt,  price  is. 
Timothy  and  Minna  are  keenly  anxious  to  ride  bicycles,  and  in  a  weak 
moment  borrow  Miss  Barton's  bicycle  without  having  first  obtained  the 
owner's  consent.  Unfortunate  results  ensue,  but  a  lesson  is  thereby  learnt, 
which  is  both  wholesome  and  productive  of  good. 

*'  Child  life  is  portrayed  with  much  force  in  this  charming  little  book.  Timothy  and 
Minna  are  delightful  characters,  who  are  much  like  brothers  and  sisters  of  to-dav." 

Teachers  Aid. 


national  society's  depository,  sanctuary,  WESTMINSTER. 


20    NATIONAL  SOCIETY'S  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  PENELOPE  LESUE-cantmued. 

DOROTHY^  S  STEPMOTHER 

With  Frontispiece  by  C.  J,  Staniland.  Cloth  boards,  gilt, 
price  i^. 

Motherless  little  Dorothy  went  into  the  wood  to  look  for  fairies,  and 
found  instead  a  very  amiable  young  lady  who  eventually  filled  up  the 
vacant  place  in  the  home  and  brought  sunshine  into  Dorothy's  life  again. 

"  This  is  a  simple  and  pleasant  little  story  of  how  a  little  girl  cherishes  great  hopes, 
and  finds  them  fulfilled  in  a  quite  unexpected  way." — Spectator. 

TROUBLESOME  COUSINS 

With  Frontispiece  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  is. 

"Troublesome  Cousins"  is  a  story  specially  suited  for  very  young 
children,  and  describes  some  of  the  scrapes  in  which  Stella  Weston  and 
her  cousin  Guy  found  themselves,  partly  through  their  restlessness  and 
partly  through  their  desire  to  be  independent. 

BY  AUDREY  CURTIS 

Author  of    Little  Miss  Curlylocks,"  &c. 

PLAIN  JEREMIAH 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s. 
Jeremiah  is  only  a  lout  of  a  boy  in  a  south  country  village,  but  he  has 
sterling  stuff  in  him,  which  is  brought  out  both  by  his  intimacy  with  the 
old  shepherd  on  the  downs  and  by  his  acquaintance  with  the  "  Awkward 
Squad,"  who  are  no  other  than  the  four  young  children  of  a  retired 
army  officer. 

"A  most  interesting  story  .  .  .  merits  special  praise,  and  will  become  a  prime 
favourite  with  the  youngsters  when  known." — Teachers'  Aid 

THE  ARTIST  OF  CROOKED  ALLEY 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  is.  6d. 

The  artist  was  only  nine  years  old  and  lived  in  Crooked  Alley  ;  his 
canvas  was  the  pavement  of  a  London  street,  his  colours  no  more  than  a 
motley  collection  of  odds  and  ends  of  coloured  chalks. 

"A  story  of  exceptional  interest;  one  that  attracts  and  retains  the  reader  from 
beginning  to  end." — Teachers'  Aid. 

LITTLE  MISS  CURLYLOCKS 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S, 
This  story  relates  how  Little  Miss  Curlylocks,"  living  with  her 
high-born  grandparents  at  Montmorency  Manor,  becomes  acquainted  with 
Alice  Fogerty,  her  brother  Tim,  a^id  the  Fat  Baby,  and  what  happens  in 
consequence. 


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NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG  21 


BY  KATHERINE   E.  VERNHAM 
SUCH  A  TOMBOY,  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  i^.  6^. 
A  collection  of  eight  short  stories,  chiefly  concerned  with  the  lives  ot 
the  very  poor,  and  the  pathos  and  wide  charity  with  which  they  are  often 
filled. 

"  This  attractive  little  volume  contains  eight  short  stories.  All  are  good  and  pleasant 
reading."— Girls'  and  Infants'  Mistress. 

JO:  A  STUPID  BOY,  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  i^-.  6^. 
A  collection  of  short  stories,  chiefly  of  life  among  the  poor  in  great  cities, 
''May  be  recommended  with  confidence  as  likely  to  amuse  young  boys  and  to 
suggest  wholesome  thoughts." — Guardian. 

THE  TUCKERS*  TURKEY 

And  other  Stories.  With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by 
C.  J.  Staniland.    Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  is,  6d, 

This  is  another  volume  of  short  stories,  evidently  drawn  from  actual 
observation  of  some  of  the  finer  phases  of  character  to  be  found  among  the 
more  indigent  classes  and  even  among  the  waifs  and  strays  of  London 
and  other  cities  and  large  towns. 

'*  These  stories  are  skilfully  told  .  .  .  some  are  highly  dramatic,  and  all  are  more  or 
less  pathetic."— Teachers'  Aid. 

A  WONDERFUL  CHRISTMAS 

And  other  Stories.   With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J. 
Staniland.    Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 
A  collection  of  a  dozen  short  stories,  dealing  for  the  most  part  with 
the  waifs  and  strays  to  be  found  in  our  great  cities,  and  with  some  of  the 
more  admirable  points  so  often  to  be  observed  in  their  characters. 


BY  A.   E.  DEANE 
A  SUNDAY  IN  SUMMER 

With  Frontispiece  by  W.  S.  Stagey,  Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  is. 
The  story  of  a  crippled  lad  who  was  always  wishing  he  could  be  useful, 

and  how  at  last  he  was  rewarded  by  being  able  to  save  a  train  from  being 

wrecked  by  signalling  to  the  driver. 

"  Is  well  written  and  shows  grasp."— The  Record. 

A  GUILTY  SILENCE 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 

An  interesting  story  showing  that  ill-gotten  gains  do  nobody  any  good, 
and  that  honesty  is  the  best  policy. 

"  A  pleasant  interesting  tale  with  good  sound  teaching,  appropriate  to  the  actual 
needs  of  very  many  actual  young  people." — School  Board  Chronicle. 


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22  NATIONAL  SOCIETY'S  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  A.   E.  DEANE-contznt^ed 

THE  TWO  ELLENS 

With  Frontispiece  by  C.  J.  Staniland.    Cloth  boards,  gilt, 
price  IS, 

Miss  Deane's  story  will  be  found  a  simple  and  interesting  piece  of 
reading  for  the  very  young  ;  moreover,  it  contains  some  sound  warnings  to 
parents  as  to  their  responsibilities  and  the  unwisdom  of  always  letting 
children  have  their  own  way. 

"  This  is  just  the  sort  of  book  to  give  as  a  birthday  present  or  Sunday  School  prize  to 
a  little  girl." — The  Churchwoman. 

BY  G.  NORWAY 
A  ROMAN  HOUSEHOLD 

With  Three  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s.  6d. 
An  interesting  description  of  family  life  among  the  Romans  in  the 
time  of  Nero,  and  of  the  persecutions  and  sufferings  that  the  early 
Christians  had  to  undergo  in  order  to  remain  true  to  Him  Whom  they 
served. 

"  Is  an  excellent  gift  book  and  interesting  alike  to  young  and  old." 

Girls  and  Infant  Mistress. 

BESSIE  KITSON 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Gertrude  D.  Hammond. 
Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  i^.  6d. 
Bessie  Kitson,  left  an  orphan  at  a  very  early  age,  is  fortunately  rescued 
from  the  squalid  home  in  which  she  has  obtained  shelter  and  taken  to  live 
with  honest,  God-fearing  people  at  Windsor.  Ultimately  the  return  of 
Mr.  George  Kitson  from  Australia  removes  all  fear  of  want  alike  from 
Bessie  and  her  faithful  foster-mother. 

BY   L.    E.  TIDDEMAN 
REINE'S  KINGDOM 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by   C.    J.  Staniland. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2S. 
Showing  how  a  young  girl  gave  way  to  the  temptation  of  ambition, 
but  had  the  moral  courage  to  confess  her  faults,  which  turned  out  to  be 
blessings  in  disguise. 

"We  place  it  in  a  very  high  position  among  the  season's  gift  books." 

Teacher's  Aid. 

TAKING  FRENCH  LEAVE 

With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Bevelled 
boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  is.  6d. 
Madge  and  Will  Torrance,  the  twin  children  of  an  artist  living  in  the 
country,  weave  a  most  perplexing  web  about  themselves  through  playing 
truant  from  school  on  a  very  hot  afternoon  ;  and  their  story  is  likely  to 
prove  a  useful  lesson  to  other  young  folks  when  tempted  to  be  deceitful. 


national  society's  depository,  sanctuary,  WESTMINSTER. 


NATIONAL  society's  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG  23 


BY    MAUD  VEVERS 
LETTICE  TEMPLE  : 

A  Story  of  the  Days  of  Bishop  Ken.  With  Two  Full-page 
Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland.  Bevelled  boards,  cloth 
gilt,  price  2s. 

A  stirring  story  of  the  times  of  the  cruel  Judge  Jeffreys,  and  of  the 
dangers  encountered  in  travelling  in  England  two  hundred  years  ago. 
"  The  book  is  nicely  written  and  got  up."— The  Journal  of  Education. 

THE  KING'S  RING 

With  Frontispiece  by  W.  S.  Stagey.  Cloth  boards,  gilt, 
price  \s. 

A  short  but  effective  story  of  Cavaliers  and  Roundheads,  and  of  how 
the  Lady  Grace  Cross  contrived  to  find  food  and  shelter  for  King  Charles  I. 
at  a  time  when  he  was  in  great  extremity  of  peril. 

"  A  charming  little  story  of  the  troublous  days  when  families  were  divided  between 
Royalists  and  Roundheads." — The  Record. 


A  KING'S  THEGN 

By  Geraldine  M.  Gay.    With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations 
by  W.  S.  Stagey.    Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  li*.  6^. 
Describing  the  life  of  a  Thegn  in  the  time  of  King  Alfred,  and  giving 
in  the  course  of  the  story  a  very  fine  description  of  the  great  battle  of 
Ethandun,  where  the  Danes  under  Guthrum  were  completely  defeated. 
"  Is  an  attractive  story,  built  on  the  life  of  a  thegn  in  the  time  of  King  Alfred." 

The  Record. 


A  FRIENDLY  GIRL 

By  Catherine  P.  Slater,  Author  of  "A  Goodly  Child,"  &c. 
With  Frontispiece  by  C.  J.  Staniland.  Cloth  boards, 
gilt,  price  i^. 

This  story  describes  with  much  pathos  and  quiet  humour  how  Jeanie 
Scott,  a  member  of  the  Girls'  Friendly  Society,  goes  as  a  general" 
servant  to  Miss  Marget  Melville,  an  old  maid  living  in  the  suburbs  of 
Edinburgh,  and  of  certain  things  that  happened  while  Jeanie  was  there. 


SOME  GREAT  THING 

By  Lady  Dunboyne,  Author  of  "  Fritz  and  his  Friends,"  &c. 
With  Two  Full-page  Illustrations  by  Hugh  Arnold. 
Bevelled  boards,  cloth  gilt,  price  2s. 
The  story  of  a  girl  who  is  always  looking  for  some  great  thing  to  do  in 
her  life,  but  finds  in  the  end  that  the  majority  of  people  have  to  be  content 
with  doing  things  that  appear  small. 

"  Is  a  most  excellent  story  in  every  respect." — Teachers'  Aid. 


national  society's  depository,   sanctuary,  WESTMINSTER. 


24  NATIONAL  SOCIETY'S  NEW  STORY  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  A  BULLDOG 

By  Mrs.  Neville  Peel.    With  Frontispiece  by  W.  S.  Stagey. 
Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  is. 
The  story  of  a  number  of  dogs, "  their  airs  and  graces  and  their 
adventures,  related  by  the  bulldog  himself. 

"  It  is  a  cleverly  written  work  and  deserves  to  secure  widespread  popularity.' 

Teacher's  Aid. 


LOST  ON  THE  MOOR 

By    Taffy."  With  Frontispiece.   Cloth  boards,  gilt,  price  is. 
The  story  of  Little  Jack,  how  he  was  lost  on  the  moor  in  a  thick  fog 
through  his  brother's  disobedience,  and  how  he  was  found  and  finally 
restored  to  his  home. 


fSpoiiistcoode     Co.  Printers^  New-street  Square,  London 


